Guardians of Life
by Clumsy Peg
Summary: Artemis stumbles across a sight that will change her life forever-giant robots. But living with the Autobots isn't always as great as it seems. Ch 17: Lookin' good, Red!
1. Discovery

**REVAMP TIME!**

**I know I've said I was going to do this for a while, but I finally am! I started writing this as a very inexperienced author, but as this story progressed I got more experienced through writing more stories, and so I want to clean this fic up a little.**

* * *

Artemis wasn't much of a people-person. She lived alone in a small apartment where she spent most of her time, listening to music or doing whatever else she wanted. At 18, she graduated from high school, only to immediately cut herself off from any "friendships" she may have formed. Anyone who tried to contact her soon learned it was a futile effort. She was stubborn and independent; and that's how she was going to stay.

The girl sighed. The only downside to being a loner was being bored most of the time. She made up for this by messing around with the mechanics and inner workings of electronics, and taking long walks at night to random places. Dangerous, yes, but she found it had a calming effect on her when she was restless.

She sighed again and looked at her watch. "Hm. 10:30. Time for another walk," she said.

* * *

"What I still don't understand, Prime, is why we're staying out here, of all places," Ironhide said, exasperated. The Weapons Specialist gestured to the remote valley they were standing in. It was tucked away from cities and downs, with a few trees scattered across it. Surrounding the entire valley were large hills tall enough to allow the Autobots to stand and not be seen by anyone on the other side.

"I told you, old friend, that our current base is in danger of discovery. Staying anywhere near there would present the risk of our presence being known to the world," Optimus replied patiently.

"Their undying curiosity and impatience greatly intrigues me."

Optimus turned to his medical officer, Ratchet.

"That may be true, but until the threat of discovery is gone, we can't risk returning to our base."

Ratchet looked slightly dejected at this statement. He was hoping to get some more data on these humans by watching them more closely.

"Can't you call Major Lennox and get it all sorted out?" Ironhide asked his leader.

"It is no big problem. The radars that inadvertently picked us up will be deemed broken once they see that we do not show up on them any longer."

Bumblebee mumbled in agreement with Optimus, still unable to have full use of his vocal processors.

"And what about Jazz?"

Optimus sighed and rubbed his optic ridges. His first lieutenant was brutally murdered by Megatron in battle only a few months prior, being torn in two. "Even if the humans get past our hologram projection, he's safely hidden away. They won't find him."

A minute of silence passed between the Autobots. Jazz was a good friend to all of them, especially Ironhide.

"When will we be able to get back? I despise this place. Especially when it rains," the Weapons Specialist mentioned, beginning to be annoyed. The water made his armor rust, and wreaked havoc on his cannons. Although he respected the humans' lives, he was getting fed up with their constant meddling.

"We will stay here for one more night. Ratchet, run a quick scan to make sure there aren't any humans in a ten-mile radius." Optimus replied. "Then we'll all recharge before returning to our home."

"Sure thing, Optimus...hm. That's strange."

"What is it?"

"I'm picking up a single human signal a few hundred feet away, to the northwest."

All three Autobots turned towards the direction Ratchet was pointing.

* * *

Artemis often walked through remote places. She loved the peace in nature when there was nothing man-made in sight. This particular time, she walked out farther than she ever had, eventually making her way to a large hill that sloped into a valley. Exhausted, she decided to rest for a little before returning home. But when she took in her surroundings, something didn't add up. A few moments of shock followed, then disbelief.

"_They're robots!" _she thought. _"They're actually big, working, complex robots! But...they cant be! This is impossible! Maybe I'm hallucinating." _Her mind spun with possible explanations to what she was seeing. Before her, just a few hundred feet away, were four robots, apparently having a meeting of some was frozen in fear and excitement. That is, until one of them pointed directly at her, and the other three turned to look as well. Then she was just frozen in fear.

"_Should I run? Will I even get that far? What am I going to do?" _But before she could get her legs to move, they were already on their way. Artemis felt like she was going to pass out, but managed to get a grip on herself as they approached, but was unable to get her legs to work. Instead she built up her courage and stood her ground, preparing to face whatever situation arose, though secretly hoping it wouldn't turn out too horribly.

Optimus slowly made his way up to the hill the human was standing. A girl, by the look of it, young too. He leaned forward until he was face to face with the petrified but determined human. Ironhide, Ratchet, and Bumblebee were right behind him.

Artemis managed to get her voice to work, and was the first to speak.

"You're real."

Optimus squinted his optics slightly at this declaration and replied, "That's an unusual thing to say, even by human terms."

"Well, you're an unusual sight to see, especially by human terms."

This remark elicited a small chuckle from Optimus, while Bumblebee and Ratchet gave each other looks and smiled. Ironhide just crossed his arms. This human was different than the others. Spunky.

"I suppose that's true. My name is Optimus Prime. Behind me are my comrades, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Bumblebee."

All three Autobots nodded when their names were called.

"So...you're not gonna kill me or anything?" Artemis asked, still suspicious even though no hostility was shown.

"No, we're the 'good guys', to put it in human terms," Ratchet replied.

"But...you're _robots_...how the _hell_..."

Optimus cut her off. "It will be easier to start from the beginning."

* * *

Artemis sat on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest next to Bumblebee. Since he was the smallest, he was the easiest one for her to sit by and not feel so overwhelmed. He didn't seem to mind; in fact, he seemed happy this human chose to sit next to him out of the others. She reminded him of Sam in a way. The yellow mech drooped slightly at the memory of the boy. He missed Sam, but understood his need for a 'normal' life. Meanwhile, Optimus explained everything that had happened, from the start of the war on Cybertron to the battle just a few months prior.

"So...Jazz. He's really..." She started.

A sad look from four directions met her.

"Oh...I'm sorry. He was a good-"

"You don't know who he was! You've never met him. So don't talk about him like you have!" Ironhide yelled suddenly. He had been quiet for most of the hour. Artemis was startled by his sudden outburst, and tried to apologize.

"I...I'm sorry, I just-"

Ironhide abruptly stood up and stormed away without a word.

Artemis put her head in her hands. "We haven't known each other for an hour and he already hates me." Bumblebee squeaked quietly and gently put his hand around her in an effort to comfort her.

"He doesn't hate you. He and Jazz were best friends, and he doesn't want to admit the pain he's feeling from his death. So any time he starts feeling emotional, he masks it with anger. Its just who he is," Ratchet said consolingly. "But I must say he's starting to worry me. He waits too long before entering a recharging cycle and barely gets his daily intake of energon. If he keeps this up I'll have to take drastic measures."

Optimus stood up. "I'll go check on him."

* * *

Ironhide sat a few hundred yards away from the others, looking up at the stars. "_Why did it have to be Jazz? Why didn't he let me fight Megatron instead? Why did he order us to retreat but stayed behind, even though he knew it was futile?" _He shuttered his optics. He wanted to stop feeling and think about it more at the same time.

He sat up when he heard Optimus walking towards him.

"Are you okay, old friend?"

Ironhide sighed, giving up on his "big and tough" façade for the moment. "I don't know, Prime. Its just...harder to cope than I expected."

Optimus put his hand on Ironhide's shoulder. "Its never easy to lose a comrade. Especially when they were as close as you two were."

There was a somber silence between the two mechs. Ironhide finally broke the silence.

"Why do you trust this human girl with so much information? There are very few humans we've met that tolerate our presence on this planet. She could be no different than the rest."

"I understand your concern, Ironhide, but she reacted differently than every other human we've encountered. She readily accepted us when every other was weary. She deserves a chance." Optimus decided not to tell him the other reason he wanted her to stay. Not just yet.

Ironhide, rebuilding his toughness, grumbled in reply, "As long as she stays away from me. I'm starting to really despise these meddling earthlings."

Optimus squeezed his friend's shoulder before turning to go. "They're not so bad, once you know get to know them," he said, leaving.

Ironhide let out a discontented burst of air. "Like I'll let that happen."

* * *

"How is he?" Ratchet asked as Optimus made his way back to the others.

Optimus let himself fall to the ground with a thump. "Trying to cope, as always. How's Artemis taking his attitude?"

Ratchet gestured over to Bumblebee. "They're both recharging. Bee took to comforting her quite well. And he finally found someone who isn't annoyed by his radio-talking."

Optimus chuckled. "At least something is going right."

Ratchet smiled in agreement. "Speaking of recharging, you should too, Optimus. Its not good to overwork yourself like you have been. You Autobots will be the death of me, making me worry like I am."

"Thank you for your concern. But you also need to take care of yourself. I can see it in your optics that you have been stressed lately. Get a recharge cycle in yourself."

"I will, but someone should stay up to keep watch."

"Ratchet...that was an order." Optimus replied, a twinkle of a smile playing across his optics.

Ratchet smiled to himself. "Alright Optimus. As long as you promise to recharge too."

* * *

Artemis stirred and sat up. "Hm...must be a few hours 'till sunrise still," she mumbled, looking around the grey landscape. Bumblebee was still deep in a recharging cycle next to her, as well as Optimus and Ratchet not too far away. She smiled. Bumblebee was so cute in his complete innocence. She looked up and noticed Ironhide wasn't in sight. Getting up, she went to go look for him to apologize. After a moment she spotted him in the same spot he stormed off to earlier, still staring at the sky. She swallowed her building apprehension and walked up to the mech.

"Um...Ironhide...?"

A moment of silence passed, then Ironhide, without looking down, replied, "What do you want?"

Hugging herself nervously, Artemis said, "Oh...um...I-I'm sorry I offended you earlier. I didn't mean to, I just-"

Ironhide interrupted with a grunt. Artemis hoped this was his way of accepting her apology. She quietly sat down next to him in silence and stared at the stars as well. She took it as a good sign that he didn't move away.

Still staring at the stars, Ironhide asked her, "Do you even know what its like to lose someone so close to you?" He lowered his head, shuttering his optics. "He was a brother to me. The closest bot I've had to family."

Artemis was silent for a few minutes, contemplating the question and hugging her knees. Finally she replied, "I do, actually."

Ironhide turned his head toward her, noticing her striking green eyes looked more lubricated than they were before. Something jogged in his memory processor. This girl looked familiar and he wanted to figure out why. Not being very tactful, he asked bluntly, "Yeah? Who did you know that died?"

Artemis winced at this, but replied, saying meekly, "...my whole family."

Ironhide's optic ridges rose slightly at this statement. "All at once?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"Yes...It was a family reunion...where all my relatives from both my mom and dad's side gathered. It was a huge event. Relatives I didn't even know I had were there. I was tired of playing with all my cousins, so I went inside the small building we rented with the picnic area. And...the next thing I know..." Artemis paused, the pain from the memory bringing more tears to her eyes. Sniffing, she continued, "Lots of loud noises. Almost like the crash of metal on metal. Then…a huge earthquake hit. The entire ground trembled so violently. And…and then…I hear the loudest explosion I've ever heard. I felt the heat of the explosion, and half of the building I was in was destroyed. I ran outside to see what happened...and...the picnic area was gone. In its place was a gigantic crater…and huge marks in the ground. Like slashes. Even the trees for miles around were destroyed. All my family was dead. After seeing that, I went into shock. I don't remember anything after that. Later I was told it was a gas leak that caused the explosion." At this, Artemis was overtaken with grief and started sobbing uncontrollably. Ironhide didn't know what to do at this, seeing a human girl leak so much lubricant from her eyes...what did they call it here...oh, crying. Still not knowing what to say, he stayed silent for a moment, thinking about her story. Something about it sounded familiar as well,but he couldn't quite think of what it was. When Artemis calmed down, he asked, "When...did this all happen?"

Sniffing again, she replied, "Just over a year ago."

And then it hit him. He knew exactly why it sounded so familiar. Why she looked so familiar. It must have shown in his optics, because Artemis asked, "Are you okay?"

"Oh...yeah. I'm fine." He said, looking down. "But you look like you could use some more recharging...or, sleep, as you humans call it."

Smiling at this unexpected concern, and not bothering to wonder why because she _was _tired, Artemis replied, "I'm not the only one who could use some recharging. They're worried about you, you know." She took a chance and rested her hand on his arm. "They're afraid you're going to end up hurting yourself over his death. I know I didn't know who Jazz was, but I'm sure he wouldn't want you mourning his loss by hurting yourself."

Ironhide leaned back against the hill he was sitting on without a word, musing over the words this human girl spoke. She was wise beyond her years. Probably due to the trauma of losing so much at such a young age. _"But of all the humans on this planet," _he thought, _"It had to be this one."_ He let out an exhausted puff of air, and relented to the recharge that was trying to take over his system. As he let himself fall into a recharging cycle, Artemis found a comfortable spot next to his shoulder armor, and she too fell asleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Ironhide was jolted from his recharge cycle by Optimus.

"Time to get up, old friend. The sun is rising. We're heading back to the base before it gets too light."

Ironhide groggily rubbed his optics with one hand, sitting up with the other. Then he remembered that the girl had fallen asleep next to him. He looked down but didn't see her. Panicking slightly, he stood up to make sure he didn't crush her as he was recharging. Optimus seemed to get what he was worried about, and said, "She went with Bumblebee to go eat. They're meeting us back at the base."

"I-I wasn't worried about her, its just…that…um…" Ironhide sputtered, as Optimus laughed. "Whatever you say, Ironhide. But either way, she seems to have taken a special liking to you."

"…Really? You think so?" Ironhide asked, half annoyed and half pleased.

Optimus laughed again and said, "I thought you didn't want any meddling humans near you."

Ironhide huffed again and transformed into his Topkick mode again, speeding off to the base.

"I wonder if he realizes we were listening in on his conversation," Ratchet mused aloud.

Transforming into his alt mode, Optimus replied, "Whether he knows or not, I think this girl may be good for all of us to have around."

"Think he knows exactly who she is yet?"

"He might, Ratchet, he...but no matter what, he'll have to get over it some day. And I think Artemis might just be the one to help him."


	2. Doubt

**REVAMP TIME!**

**This chapter wasn't too bad, but there were little grammatical things I did to revamp it. Other than that, it stayed mostly the same!  
**

* * *

Artemis had been allowed by Optimus to stay at the Autobot base as her new home. She quickly got used to their transforming and really enjoyed their presence. Much more than other people, anyway. They even set up a room for her with furnishings for a being her size. She liked to watch what each Autobot did in their down time, especially Ratchet (because Ironhide didn't like others staring at him during target practice). Ratchet even let her help out on some of his projects once he realized she had a basic knowledge of mechanics. Because of this she learned a lot about Cybertronian mechanisms and tools, which utterly astounded her but excited her to no end. One day, while helping Ratchet clean some of his instruments, (which were the same size as she was,) the medic made a comment.

"You seem to be getting along with Ironhide well."

Artemis paused and looked up at him. "I like everyone here. You've shown me so many cool things and taught me so much about mechanics I can't begin to thank you. Bumblebee is just so cute and playful. He can always make me feel better when I'm upset. Optimus…he let me stay here with you all and he's really great to talk to. And Ironhide…he's just…himself."

"You don't know why you get along so well with Ironhide, do you?"

Artemis shook her head, giving in. "I have no idea why. Its almost like we've met before, but that's impossible. I'm sure I'd remember a giant alien robot. So…I really don't know."

Ratchet smiled, almost sadly. "You will someday."

Artemis was hoping for some sort of elaboration on this strange declaration, but when none came, she let it go. Pestering the CMO was a _very_ bad idea, she learned. Last week he threw a hammer at Bumblebee for poking his head in the medbay because he was bored. She decided to change the subject instead.

"Why can't we bring Jazz back?"

Ratchet tiredly expelled some air from his vents. He knew this question would come someday. "The damage done to his body was too extensive. And without medical drones to get into the tight spaces, there was nothing I can do to fix him."

"But…can't you build him an entirely new body?"

"No," he replied. "Its not that easy. The second reason why I can't fix him is because of his Spark. Once his Spark goes out, its gone. It can't be brought back except by the Allspark, which was completely destroyed."

Artemis was quiet for a while and finished cleaning the instrument she was working on. Then, suddenly having an idea, she asked, "But, what if his Spark didn't completely go out? What if it just…dimmed really, really low? Would there be a way to save him then?"

Ratchet was taken aback by this question, but answered, "I don't see why not. It would be difficult, but I'm sure-hey, where are you going?"

Artemis raced out of the medbay to where Jazz was being kept. She sometimes went there to be alone, and to study the mech that everyone seemed to hold in such high regard, wondering what he was like. But last time something caught her eye. It was a dim flicker of light from within his chest, but she dismissed it as a reflection. But now, she wasn't so sure.

"Artemis, where-" Ironhide asked as she quickly ran through the room and threw open the doors to where Jazz lied.

Once inside, Artemis slowed down, her apprehension building. _"What if I'm wrong? What if its not really there, and I got everyone worked up for nothing? Would Ironhide ever forgive me? Would any of them forgive me?"_ she thought. Shoving away these doubts, she jogged over to the top half of Jazz's body and climbed up on top of him, peering into his chest.

"What are you doing?" Ironhide asked, confused and slightly angry at her lack of respect for his best friend.

"Quiet, 'Hide, she's on to something." Ratchet replied, catching up to them.

"What? You mean something that could bring him back?" Ironhide asked, unable to keep the hope out of his voice. He knew this girl was smart and could come up with a way to bring back his brother.

Artemis peered intently through Jazz's armor, searching desperately for the flicker of light she saw before. Nothing. Not a single thing. Refusing to give up, she started shifting some of his armor out of the way to get a better look. Still nothing.

She was wrong. She got everyone so excited, but she was wrong. She should've thought it through more before jumping to conclusions. Artemis sighed. Jumping down, she said, "I'm sorry, guys. I just got too carried…" her voice trailed off as she took one last glance at Jazz. Something caught her eye. A little twinkle of light, barely visible and only able to be seen at a certain angle. Artemis rushed forward, getting a closer look at the mysterious light.

"Hey…hey! Ratchet! Come here! Is…is this his Spark?" she asked as he ran towards her.

Ratchet knelt down and peered through Jazz's armor. "Primus…it is! The fragger's still hanging on! And its so faint, its almost gone. No wonder my scans never picked it up. Ironhide! Let's get him to the medbay! Now!"

"Are you going to rebuild him? But how, Ratchet? You just told me you couldn't do it yourself." Artemis questioned, concerned.

Optics alive with a new light, Ratchet answered her. "Who says I'm doing it alone? I've got you to help me."

* * *

The next 36 hours were hectic. Neither Ratchet nor Artemis took a break from working quickly but carefully on the severed mech's body, Ironhide impatiently paced back and forth between the doors to the medbay, Bumblebee was barely able to hold in his nervous excitement, and Optimus was sitting on the floor, seemingly calm, but thoughts racing through his processors. The only sound that disturbed the tense silence was an occasional clunk of metal-on-metal and Ratchet's impatient curses.

Optimus wasn't the only preoccupied bot. Ironhide's thoughts focused on Jazz. He allowed a memory to play across his processor…

* * *

"_Jazz! Get your aft back here you Primus-forsaken mech!" Ironhide yelled, chasing after him._

"_You'll have to be faster than that to catch me, ya old 'bot!" Jazz yelled back happily._

"_Just 'cause I'm old doesn't mean I don't got a few tricks up my cannons!"_

_But Ironhide didn't need to bring out his cannons. Jazz, whose attention was on Ironhide, didn't notice the other side of the base was right in front of him. Ironhide saw the wall ahead and stopped running, and Jazz, trying to figure out why he stopped, ran straight into the thick metal wall._

"_Oof! Hey, 'Hide, why didn't you warn me I was so close to that slagging wall?" Jazz yelled, rubbing his visor._

_Ironhide fell to the floor with laughter. "Now, why would I do that? You're a young 'bot. If you can bounce back half as fast as you did from that wall you'll be fine in no time!"_

"'_Hide, you've got the Pit comin at ya now!" Jazz yelled with an evil smile on his face, tackling the laughing Ironhide._

* * *

"_Let me GO, Jazz! I'm perfectly fine to still fight! I said, LET GO!"_

_Jazz wrestled Ironhide to the ground, which was no easy feat._

"_NO, 'Hide, you're NOT okay! You're good cannon arm is scrap metal! Those connections in your hip have all come loose again! Your fragging spark chamber is damaged! You stay out there, and you'll be blown to millions of pieces! I won't have that happen under my command!" Jazz yelled back, still pinning Ironhide to the ground. The sounds of battle could be heard behind them._

"_Slag it, Jazz, you know I'm a tough fighter! I can still help! You know I'll fight to the end!"_

_Jazz expelled a lot of air from his vents. Lifting up his visor to look his best friend in the eye, he said, "I _know _you would, brother. That's why I'm sending you away." A pause, then looking over his shoulder, Jazz yelled, "Ratchet! Get over here! 'Hide needs immediate attention!"_

_Ironhide allowed himself to be taken to the medbay without another word._

* * *

"_Retreat! 'Hide, Ratchet, Bee! Retreat! It's Megatron!"_

_A scramble of movements showed all three mechs falling back. As Ironhide looked back to see if Jazz followed, he yelled, "JAZZ! Get out of there! You don't stand a chance! _Jazz! JAZZ!_"_

_But Jazz ignored his best friend's pleas. He ran forward and leaped on the gigantic mech, shooting off his weapons the entire time._

"_JAZZ! No!" Ironhide yelled, running forward to help._

_Ratchet just managed to grab his legs and tackle him down. "No, Ironhide! He said to retreat! He knows what he's doing! You have to follow his orders!"_

"_Slag those fraggin orders! Its suicide! Jazz!" Ironhide yelled again, trying to pull himself free._

_Jazz looked back for an astrosecond, and databurst Ironhide one last message._

"'_Hide, I know you want to help. But even with you we can't defeat Megatron! We just need a distraction until Optimus arrives...I'm not going to let you die today too." A pause, then, "It's been an honor fighting with you all these years, brother. I will miss you. Tell everyone I'm sorry."_

_Ironhide watched in horror as Megatron leapt to the top of a building, dragging Jazz with him. Jazz, courageous as ever, was still shooting off his guns at the gigantic menace. "You wanna piece of me? You wanna piece?"_

"_NO! I want…TWO!"_

"_JAZZ!!!"_

* * *

Ironhide interrupted that memory. It was still too painful to think about. Then his mind wandered to Artemis…ever since she arrived, she had a certain presence about her that could lighten anyone's mood. He even found himself enjoying her company. _"No, Ironhide! What are you doing? You promised yourself you wouldn't get attached to these fragile humans after that! But…I also promised…" _Ironhide's thoughts trailed off through his processors, fatigued by the excitement. He was jolted back to reality when the medbay doors opened. He practically pounced on Ratchet as he walked out.

"Hey, hey! Slag it, Ironhide, take it easy! I'm not exactly running at 100% you know!" Ratchet yelled in surprise, almost toppling over.

"How is he? Will he make it? Tell me already!"

Releasing himself from Ironhide's grip, he replied, "We've managed to stabilize his Spark, so it looks like he's going to pull through. It's a miracle he's survived these months…I still can't explain it…anyway, he's nowhere near being conscious yet, and just in case he's able to feel pain I had him be offline. But he's going to be fine," Ratchet assured Ironhide. A relieved sigh came from all three of the waiting Autobots. Ratchet continued, "We also started the preliminary work to reconnect his lower half. I'm sure in a few more hours we can--"

Optimus leaned forward to catch the exhausted CMO when his knees gave out. He looked at his medic and his assistant. Both looked so weary it added years to their faces. They seemed as if they could enter involuntary recharge cycles at any astrosecond. "You two need rest. Let's get you to your room, Ratchet," Optimus said, leading Ratchet down the hall. Ironhide was just about to offer Artemis a lift to her room, but noticed she was fast asleep on his foot. Smiling, he activated his holoform and gently picked her up and carried her into her room and placed her on the bed.

"Goodnight, Artemis," he whispered.


	3. Delight

**This chapter is basically the same, but still revamped slightly for grammatical errors and such.**

**Enjoy!! :D**

* * *

After a good recharge cycle for everyone, Ratchet and Artemis went right back to work fixing up Jazz's body. Ironhide was still pacing outside the medbay, but not as often as he did earlier. But everyone could tell he was in a better mood. He even put up with entertaining Bumblebee for a few hours. Now _that_ was something to see.

Back in the medbay, spirits were high as well.

"Ah, I wonder how mad he's gonna be when he finds out he's about three inches shorter than he was," Ratchet mused aloud, chuckling at the thought.

"Is he really that sensitive about his height?"

"You have no idea, Artemis. You have _no_ idea."

Welding his two halves together took overlapping of his armor and main body structure, which of course made him shorter. Lucky for them, he was still offline for the time being.

"Artemis, can you see if you can smooth out the other side of that weld?" Ratchet asked, handing her the tool.

"Sure thing 'Ratch," she replied, leaning over to get a better view of what she was doing.

"After we're finished with this, and rewire a few of his vitals into their permanent positions instead of all the temporary ones we set up, we should be able to bring him back online with little to no pain."

"I'm sure Ironhide is gonna be very happy to hear that," Artemis smiled.

* * *

A few hours and a few new connections later, the Autobots surrounded the examination table Jazz was lying on.

"Alright, here we go," Ratchet said as he brought him back online.

Jazz's visor flickered as his optics became operational.

"_Ugh…" _he thought. _"I feel like I've been ripped in two…oh, wait. I was. That explains a lot. AH! That's right! Megatron!...was I captured or something?" _He looked around, trying to focus on the faces peering down at him.

"Jazz? Jazz. Can you hear me?"

He winced. That voice was too loud for his still-sensitive audio receiver, but at least he recognized it as somewhat friendly. Just couldn't put a name to it. Relieved he was not a Decepticon prisoner, he tried to tell whoever it was to tone it down, but his vocal processors wouldn't work. Ratchet forgot to switch them on.

"Jazz." The voice got louder. "Jazz, for Primus's sake, can you hear me?"

"_Yes, I can hear you," _he thought, irritated. _"But someone forgot to switch my vocal processors back on and I'm not exactly up for databursting yet."_

"Give him a minute," Artemis said. "He's probably still rebooting his entire system. Oh, and make sure his vocals are back on. I think you had them switched off earlier when you were fixing them."

"_Yeah, listen to…whoever that is. Why don't I recognize that voice? Did I lose part of my memory!?!? What did Ratchet DO to me?" _Jazz thought frantically_. "Oh, wait. That first voice. Its Ratchet! Okay, I remember him, the impatient slagger…forgetting to turn my vocals back on…he would. Anyway, I _better_ be able to remember Ironhide…oh, okay. I do. Cool. And Optimus and Bumblebee. I remember myself, obviously. Cybertronian history…well…I don't really care about that. Decepticons…bad. Okay. I think I'm cool."_

Ratchet enabled his vocal processors again and said, "Jazz. Can you hear anything at all? Try to speak to us if you can," Ratchet said even louder.

"Shut it, 'Ratch," Jazz struggled to say. "Just my luck, hearing your blaring voice first thing coming back into consciousness," he croaked. He was pretty rusty at this whole speaking thing.

"Haha! he's back all right, the stubborn fragger," Ironhide said, relieved his best friend was okay enough to talk. He gently slapped him on his chestplate.

Now Jazz was starting to clearly see everyone. There was Ironhide. And Bumblebee, Optimus, and Ratchet. Good, they all survived.

Ignoring Jazz's request, Ratchet continued, "Can you move at all? Try to the best you can."

"I don't wanna. I'm tired."

"Jazz, you have to start moving or your joints will be so stiff I'll have to hammer them into movement!"

"Fine with me."

"Jazz!"

"I said, No!"

Exasperated, Ratchet asked, "What do I have to do to get you to actually do something I ask?"

"You could always let him know he's shorter now," Artemis replied, smirking.

"WHAT??" Jazz yelled, bolting upright. "Ratchet! Did you make me shorter? DID YOU?" he grabbed Ratchet's shoulders and pulled him so they were face to face. "I swear, 'Ratch, if I'm so much as an _inch_ shorter…"

Ratchet released himself from Jazz's grip and stepped back before replying. "We had no choice, Jazz. Being ripped in two isn't the easiest thing to fix in the world." he paused for a moment, then continued under Jazz's death glare, "We had to overlap about three inches of your armor and main structure to make sure the weld would hold indefinitely."

Jazz stared blankly at Ratchet. "What?"

Ratchet sighed. "You're three inches shorter, Jazz."

The entire area within a twenty mile radius heard the resulting cry of anguish.

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Ironhide reached out and pulled Jazz back before he could attack Ratchet, holding him in a secure grip while Jazz made a futile effort to release himself. "I never could break your grip," he grumbled. Ironhide just laughed. "I'll let ya go when you calm down some."

"You should be glad you're alive in the first place! If it wasn't for Artemis here, you would've died!" Ratchet said indignantly.

"Wait…who?" Jazz asked, looking around. "Hey, what's up with the little human chick?"

"This is Artemis," Optimus replied, slightly amused at his second-in-command's reaction to his new height. "She's been working non-stop with Ratchet to bring you back."

"No kiddin? You must be pretty sharp for a human to be able to do that."

Artemis smiled at this compliment. "Thanks, Jazz. I'm just glad to see Ironhide in a better mood! You should've seen him. He moped around all day. That is, when he wasn't shooting stuff."

Jazz looked up at his captor. "Aww, 'Hide, you were that upset about losing me? I'm touched," he said, with a slight tone of mockery.

"Yeah, yeah," Ironhide said, knocking Jazz on the head. "The next time you go into a suicide battle I'll just shrug and walk away." He teased.

Jazz laughed, along with the others in the room. "But seriously, Ironhide. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. But I had to buy us some time, and I couldn't let you face Megatron…I'm sorry."

Ironhide released him and replied, "Its okay, Jazz. None of that matters anymore. What does is that you're back, and you're still the aft-headed bot I call my brother."

Jazz smiled and leaned in to hug him. Ironhide hugged him back. Tough guy act be damned; he had his brother back. That's all that mattered.

"Aww, where's a camera when you need one?" Artemis asked, smiling at the two mechs.

"You know, Jazz, it feels weird hugging you now that you're three inches shorter."

"Shut it, Hide."

"Aw, you know I love you."

"And you know I'm very sensitive about my height."

"You'll get over it."

Jazz sighed. "Its like I was never gone…"

* * *

Jazz remained in the medbay for a few more days while Ratchet and Artemis finished up the last of his repairs. Ironhide often tried to make his way in to talk with him. Even though it was only a few months, Jazz still missed out on a lot of action. Ironhide informed him of everything that happened since that last battle.

"So, Megatron's dead, right?" Jazz asked. "The Allspark fried him, right?"

"No," came the reply. "We thought it did, but somehow he's back. We spotted him about a month after the battle and he contacted us later to confirm that he is, indeed, alive."

"What?!? But, how can that happen? We killed him! He can't come back!"

"We don't know how it happened. Optimus thinks a part of the Allspark survived and a Decepticon used it to bring him back. But it doesn't matter how he's back anymore. We haven't heard or seen the 'Cons for a long time. They're planning something."

A minute of silence passed before Jazz changed the subject.

"This girl, Artemis," he said, looking around to make sure she wasn't in the medbay. "You remember who she is, right?"

Ironhide shuttered his optics. "Yeah, Jazz, I do."

"And the promise?"

Ironhide looked at him and said, "You know I never back out on my promises. If and when the time comes, I'll hold to it."

"Does she know?"

Ironhide shook his head.

Jazz stared at him intently. "You should tell her. Soon. It could help you with all this…to get over it. Mistakes happen, 'Hide."

Ironhide didn't say anything. He thought that after killing Blackout he'd be able to move on from it…to get a sense of closure. But he was wrong.

"I don't know, Jazz. I have no idea how she would take the news. And even if I wanted to tell her I wouldn't know when to do it." He sighed. "I don't think I could ever bear to tell her."

Jazz pushed him slightly. "Our very own Weapons Specialist, who would face Megatron alone with no cannons in a Sparkbeat to save me, doesn't have the courage to tell a girl the truth? Wow, 'Hide. You surprise me more every day."

Before Ironhide could reply to that, Ratchet shoved him out of the medbay.

"He has repairs to be finished. You can finish talking later!"

Things were running smoothly, the mood of the entire base was at an all-time high, and laughter rang throughout the area. Even Optimus was less stressed out. He could be seen whistling to himself while looking over data pads. But most shocking of all was Ratchet. His tolerance for idiocy had skyrocketed and he was actually recharging in regular intervals without complaint. Though he was still very particular with his medbay. Typical.

"_Maybe he's sick," _Bumblebee databurst Ironhide. He laughed and replied, "Maybe you should go find out, Bee."

As Ratchet was returning to the medbay with some supplies, Bumblebee ran into him and knocked him over. _"Ratchet, are you okay? You've been acting strange lately," _he databurst, climbing ontop of the fallen CMO and peering intently into his optics. Ratchet, who would've normally taken offense to such a comment especially after the scatter of his formerly sterilized instruments, said, "No, Bee, I'm just in a really, really good mood." Smiling, he added, "Oh, that reminds me. I can fix your vocal processor now. I finally fixed up that last part."

Bumblebee literally bounced off the walls. _"I'll be able to talk again! Yipee!"_ he databurst everyone. Groans could be heard from both Optimus and Ironhide.

Ratchet slid open the doors and peered into the medbay. "Hey, Artemis. You okay with those touch ups on Jazz? I'm gonna go repair Bee's voice across the hall. I'll be back in time to help you with his weapons though."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine in here 'Ratch. I'll call if I need you," she replied, watching the doors close.

"Even though he's in a better mood, I'd still rather have you finish these repairs, Artemis," Jazz said. "Ratchet's temper is still shorter than everyone else's. Even 'Hide's."

Two indignant yells came from across the hall. "I heard that!"

"You were meant to!"


	4. Disarmed

**And the revamping continues!**

**...I have REALLY despised this chapter more than you probably know. It was the one that I really, really wanted to revamp. And so, it is done! Storyline is still the same, details have just altered slightly.**

**Hope you enjoy it this time!  


* * *

**

"Lazerbeak, report."

"_There is a human girl alone with the Autobot Jazz, finishing repairs on him. There is very little threat from the Autobot in question. His weapons are still inoperable according to my scanners. The girl is unarmed," _Laserbeak told Soundwave through their link, who in turn reported to Megatron.

"Excellent. A human, eh? This will lead to an interesting little battle. Soundwave, have Lazerbeak record while Ravage and Rumble attack the human, but don't kill her. Well…_try _not to kill her. I won't be too upset if you do, but she could be a useful hostage. The Autobot I want dead. And make sure it's a slow, painful death for that one. He'll learn to stay dead after this," he smiled maliciously.

"Yes, Lord Megatron. Lazerbeak, set the bomb and record the Autobots. Ravage, Rumble, attack the human but do not aim to kill her. The Autobot is to be killed painfully."

Lazerbeak, Rumble, and Ravage acknowledged and set out to do their assigned tasks. Ravage dove through the high window of the medbay, closely followed by his companion. The sound of the shattering glass caused Artemis to jump back and scream. The second he landed, Ravage dove straight for Artemis, who ducked out of the way, causing Ravage to slam into the examination table Jazz was on.

"OPTIMUS!" she screamed. "IRONHIDE! RATCHET! BUMBLEBEE!"

* * *

_Crash._

"What in the name of Primus was that?" Optimus asked Ironhide, startled.

Then they heard the screams.

"ARTEMIS!"

The mechs ran for the medbay, but a 'mysterious' explosion caused the roof to cave in and block their way. They would have to dig through the debris to get to the door.

What seemed like hours later, though in reality was only a few minutes, the door was clear.

"Why won't they open?" Optimus asked frantically.

"Someone's jammed the key lock! I can't get in!" Ratchet replied. He was almost hysteric.

More screams and yells came from within the medbay.

"Move!" Ironhide yelled, charging up his cannons. "There's no way I'm letting one inch of metal stop me!"

The Autobots were through the doorframe before the door itself hit the floor. What they saw was shocking. Jazz was kneeling on the ground in front of Artemis in an attempt to protect her. Some newly connected fluid coils were ripped open and flowing freely from him. Dents and scraped covered his body. Ravage had ripped off the lower half of Jazz's left leg, which was tossed aside. He looked like he was in severe pain, but the saboteur was too preoccupied with protecting the girl.

"Artemis! Are you okay?" Optimus yelled.

"About as good as I can be!" she replied from behind Jazz, scared out of her mind. This thing was _wicked_.

Ratchet ran to Artemis and Jazz while Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Optimus counterattacked Ravage and Rumble.

"Jazz! Are you alright? You look like the Pit," Ratchet exclaimed as he ran over.

"Just another day, 'Ratch," he sputtered, energon and coolant flowing out of his mouth. "Would've been a little easier if my weapons had been operational. Those puny 'Cons can really be a handful."

"Frag it, Jazz. This is no time to be a wise-aft. Stay still...this much damage in just minutes..."

Artemis climbed out from behind him. Ratchet ran a quick scan over her and found she had no major injuries, and turned his attention back to Jazz. He started grabbing tools from around him to fix his vitals immediately.

"Damned metal feline!" Ironhide yelled, taking to human curses. "It keeps moving too fast!"

Ravage easily dodged each cannon blast that was aimed at him. Optimus and Ironhide were also unable to chase him due to the smaller quarters of the medbay, and each Autobot got in the way of the other trying to get at Ravage. Bumblebee was a little better than the other two because of his size, but he was busy taking on Rumble. Soon the yellow mech managed to corner the small Decepticon shot it point-blank with his cannon.

"I don't remember this thing being that fast!" the Weapons Specialist exclaimed, trying to hit Ravage with his cannons.

Optimus narrowed his optics and followed the cat's movements before trying to grab it again. "I think the Decepticons gave him an upgrade."

Eventually, Ravage made to attack Artemis again, as she was still uninjured. Ratchet saw this attack coming at the last astrosecond, and dove in front of her, causing Ravage to slam straight into his chest. The two flipped over Artemis and crashed into the wall behind them. Ravage growled and sliced deep gashes in Ratchet's chest and right arm, painful but not lethal, before leaping back to Artemis. No one dared shoot at him since he was so close to the others, and Optimus dove and missed the much more agile cat. Again, Ravage leapt towards the frightened girl. This time, Jazz threw himself in the attack path with the rest of his strength. Ravage, now enraged that he'd been thwarted so many times to finish his mission, slashed one sharp claw across his spark chamber, mutilating it.

"JAZZ!" Ironhide yelled. Flashes of his fight with Megatron ran past his optics. "RAVAGE!" he bellowed, losing control and shooting his cannons off at him.

"IRONHIDE! Careful! Artemis is too close!" Optimus exclaimed, reaching out a hand to stop him. But Ironhide was still shooting his cannons, still missing Ravage, and narrowly missing Artemis. He was in a rage.

"Ironhide! Remember your promise!"

With that jolt back to reality, he immediately shut down his cannons. He couldn't put her in more danger than she already was.

Then in the blink of an optic, Ravage pounced upon Artemis. She put up a fight and tried to throw him off, which earned her three long slashes on her stomach. She cried out in pain but turned to face Ravage again. She was on her own and she knew it. The others wouldn't dare try to attack again in such close quarters when she was right there. Yes...she was alone. and scared out of her mind. All of the Autobots could sense it...unfortunately, so could Ravage.

He leapt again, but this time dodged to the right before ramming into the side of Artemis's head. She was knocked over and dazed. In this brief moment of shock, Ravage swiftly turned around and grabbed her left arm in his mouth and bit down hard, crushing the bones. He made to drag the girl away as a hostage, letting the Autobots know of his intention.

All this happened before any of the Autobots knew what was going on. Ironhide, Bumblebee, Optimus, and Ratchet could only watch helplessly as Jazz's spark began to fade and Artemis was literally caught in the enemy's jaws, bleeding severely. Ironhide tried to move closer to Jazz, but Ravage only bit down on Artemis's arm even harder, which caused her to let loose the most agonizing scream any of the Autobots have heard. They were stuck, and Ironhide was furious not only with the situation, but with himself.

_"I failed. I failed to keep my promise...I'm sorry, Artemis..."_ he thought, seeing the mixture of pure fear and pain on her face. It was almost too much for him to bear.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" Megatron's voice rang throughout the base from Laserbeak's speakers. "It seems we found a weakness in the Autobots." They could hear the cackling in the background.

"This is low, Megatron. Even for you," Optimus replied coldly.

"No, Prime, I just do what I can to win!" he cackled. "And I had three goals tonight, all a complete success." he paused. "That is enough, Ravage. Forget about Rumble; he was weak. Return now with Lazerbeak."

Ravage obeyed, leaping across the room with Artemis still caught in his jaws. He was nearing the window he came in when a well-placed cannon blast hit the feline directly, causing him to drop the girl. Snarling at his loss, Ravage retreated out the window. "Damn Pit-spawned Decepticon lowlife!" Ironhide roared after him. "You deserve more than that!"

All four of the Autobots stood in shock. They couldn't move. Jazz was sprawled across the floor in a pool of energon and mech fluids, his Spark dangerously close to extinction and getting closer by the minute. His body twitched and spasmed from the damage. And then there was Artemis, crumpled on the ground where Ravage had dropped her, her arm and stomach bleeding profusely as she struggled to sit upright and failed. His eyes locked on Artemis…A memory flashed before his optics…

* * *

_"Blackout!" Ironhide yelled. "Fight me like a mech, you coward!"_

"_As you wish," he cackled, leaping towards Ironhide._

_The clash of metal on metal rang throughout the entire forest. Ironhide managed to tackle Blackout to the ground, destroying trees and shaking the forest floor violently. Blackout rolled over and slammed Ironhide down, only to be thrown back again. Blackout then activated his propeller blades and threw Ironhide off of him. Ironhide charged up his cannons and shot, hitting blackout in the arm and causing his propeller blades to break off and slice into the ground, leaving deep gouges. Blackout turned around to watch his blades as they were tossed away, and turned back to face his opponent, smiling a purely evil smile._

"_What are you smiling for, Decepticon?" Ironhide asked, charging both of his cannons again._

"_You can't defeat me, Autobot. You can't hit me again with those puny guns you call your weapons!" and he laughed like a maniac._

"_Oh yeah? Watch me!" he yelled, shooting off both of his cannons simultaneously._

_It happened as if in slow motion._

_Blackout dodged the cannon blasts, picked up his blades, and transformed into a helicopter to flee. But what really hit Ironhide hard was what was behind him. People. _Lots _of people. Blackout saw them when he turned back, and set up the trap that Ironhide so willingly fell into._

_They didn't stand a chance._

_The cannon blasts ripped apart the area, causing a gigantic crater to form from the force of the explosion. A building nearby was ripped to pieces as well. He could just stand in horror. All those people. He killed each and every one of them…wait. He saw movement. There was one still alive! It was a girl…she slowly walked out to the middle of the crater, looking around herself in shock. Ironhide was at a complete loss for words. He just had a feeling deep down in his Spark that he just murdered her entire family. Then she looked at him, those striking green eyes, filled with tears and shock and horror. That look would stay with him forever._

"_Ironhide. There was nothing you could do. You had no idea they were behind him. You didn't do this on purpose," Optimus said consolingly. Sirens could be heard in the distance. "We must leave before we are discovered. We can mourn later."_

_Still overwhelmed with what had just happened, Ironhide knelt down in front of the girl and said, "I promise, if our paths ever cross again, that I will protect you with my life." With this statement, he transformed into his Topkick mode and left. He didn't know if she heard him or not, or even really knew that he was there, but he kept that promise with him ever since._

_Optimus also looked back at the girl. "May Primus watch over you," he said solemnly._

* * *

Ironhide was jerked back to the present.

"What…what are we going to do?" Bumblebee asked aloud, crawling out from underneath some debris. All signs of his happy-go-lucky innocence disappeared.

Ratchet was at a loss for what to do for the first time ever as a medic. "I don't know. I…really just don't know." he turned to Ironhide and voiced what everyone already knew. "I can't save both of them," he said somberly. "I barely know enough human medical knowledge to help Artemis, but it can be done. But not when I have to fix up Jazz as well." The other two mechs turned to look at Ironhide as well, as if expecting an answer.

It was his choice. He had to choose who would live, and who would die.

Would he save his brother whom he loved more than anyone and had already lost once?

Or the girl he barely knew but promised to protect with his life?


	5. Dangerous

**I spent quite a while debating on how much I should alter this chapter. But after conferring with my TRUSTED ADVISOR, I decided to keep it much how it is, and just clean up some very minute details.**

**Enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

It was as if time had stopped. Ironhide couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He didn't see anything or feel anything around him. He didn't _want _to feel anything. But he knew he had to face it. And what he had to do.

"Ironhide. _Ironhide_. Who-"

"_Artemis."_

He databurst her name to Ratchet. He couldn't bear to announce to the world that he was condemning his brother to death, for his second time, for this fragile human girl.

Ratchet only hesitated for an astrosecond longer before running to Artemis and scooping her up carefully, and rushing her across the hall where he kept his spare tools.

Ironhide knelt beside Jazz, who was barely online. He picked him up gently and held him close, knowing his Spark would go out in a matter of minutes. Optimus watched sadly from a few feet away, and Bumblebee had disappeared down the hall. The poor mech was still a youngling among the Autobots and had never seen anything like he had today.

"Jazz. I…I'm sorry…" It was all Ironhide could do to not break down completely. He may be a hardened warrior, but this was just too much.

"Don't be. You …kept your promise. I couldn't be…prouder of…of you." Jazz struggled to reply. But this only made Ironhide feel worse. His brother wasn't even the slightest bit angry that he chose a human girl to live over him?

"You're not…mad at me?"

"Why would I be, 'Hide? You stuck...to your word."

Ironhide was still overcome with guilt, and Jazz could clearly see it on his face.

"Look. If you want to make it up t…to me, promise me you…you will tell her what happened. And continue to...protect her."

Ironhide shuttered his optics. "I promise, Jazz."

Jazz's face, though plastered with so much pain, managed a weak but sincere smile. It was all Ironhide needed to know he was grateful for his promise.

"Jazz…"

No answer.

"_Jazz_." Ironhide shook his shoulder. More panic was creeping into his voice. "Jazz, answer me!"

Nothing.

It felt like someone ripped his Spark into a million pieces. Ironhide watched helplessly as Jazz's optics dimmed and went completely out. His entire body relaxed as if all the pain had suddenly left him. His Spark flickered dimmer and dimmer…

Ironhide didn't consciously know what he was doing. He acted on an instinct deep down in a hidden part of his processor. As Jazz's Spark was flickering for the last time, Ironhide did the unthinkable: he reached down and pulled his brother's Spark from his body and pushed it into his own Spark chamber, shoving over his own Spark to make room.

Then he felt the pain.

Optimus didn't see this coming. He stared in shock while his Weapons Specialist took his First Lieutenant's Spark into his own body. And then watched as Ironhide fell to the floor, yelling out in pain. "_Primus, no…oh please, don't let this happen…_" Optimus thought, optics wide with fear.

"RATCHET!"

* * *

Ratchet was across the hall, frantically working on Artemis. Though he had started research on human medicine when Artemis came to live with them, he didn't have many of the supplies he needed. So he just had to improvise. He hooked her up to many machines he built himself to monitor her vitals. Then he did a quick scan of her arm. It was pretty bad, with not much keeping her arm attached. He did hit one stroke of luck…her brachial artery was not completely severed, only cut open. "_That explains why she hasn't bled to death yet," _Ratchet thought. "_But I can't save her arm. I don't have enough tools or know enough about organic medicine and there's no time to get her to a real hospital."_

He began sealing up the blood vessels that were severed open, as quickly as he could without making a single mistake. Even the tiniest of mistakes now could mean life or death for this girl. Again, for the first time as a medic, he found it hard to keep his processor free of emotions while he worked…he needed a clear mind so he could focus on what he had to do. But that was just about to get even harder.

"RATCHET!"

He froze. Optimus sounded…scared. He had seen his leader worried before, he had known him to be upset before…but he had never heard him sounding scared. It was such an awful sound

It sent shivers throughout his armor.

He knew there was something terribly wrong across the hall, but he couldn't leave Artemis or she would surely die. Solutions ran past his processors so quickly he could barely keep up with them.

"_There's only one way…Primus I don't want to do it, but I don't have a choice!"_

He activated his holoform to work on Artemis while he ran across to see what was so wrong. It wasn't something he wanted to do. Splitting his mind and energy was very, very difficult, and his energy had already been drained by his injuries from Ravage. Plus there was a higher risk of him making a mistake when he was trying to concentrate on two completely different problems at the same time. Such a maneuver was to be used as a last resort only…and that's what Ratchet had to do.

Running back across the hall, he burst into the medbay. "Optimus, what's-"

He skidded to a halt. Ironhide was writhing on the floor, optics shuttered tight, and literally screaming in his extreme pain.

"What the frag did he do?!?" Ratchet exclaimed. "He didn't…did he take…" he looked from Jazz lying motionless on the floor, to Ironhide doubled over in pain, to Optimus, who looked genuinely scared for the first time in his life. It was all the answer he needed.

"DAMNIT!" Ratchet yelled, punching the wall. He rarely used human curses, so when he did, you _knew_ there was something horribly wrong. Of course, he had read about this. One Cybertronian feeling so destroyed by another's dying that they would take the dying Spark into their own chest in hopes of sustaining it. They would writhe in blind pain as the Sparks fought for control of the body, clouding the processors, sending circuits sparking and vitals pushed to the breaking point. Medics would try anything they could come up with to save them, but usually failed, resorting to crushing the Sparks on their own to end the suffering it caused. But he thought it was a myth. He never thought he would have to deal with this for real.

"Ratchet, is there anything you can do for him?" Optimus pleaded. "Can you separate their Sparks?"

He shook his head. "No. Separating their Sparks at this point would be instant death for both of them, not to mention a danger to anyone near the outburst of energy that will be released. There's not much I can do."

"But what _can_ you do?"

Ratchet paused for a moment, thinking. "I can't offline them. Not in this state. Temporary deep stasis isn't much better either. The only thing I can do for them is shut off Ironhide's pain receptors. It won't stop the pain, but it will make it much more bearable. But it's a risky move. We'll have to keep him as still as possible so I can disconnect the right wires. One wrong move and their dangerously unstable Sparks could explode."

Optimus nodded. "Tell me what to do."

"I need you to keep his head, neck and upper torso as still as possible."

Optimus looked over at Ironhide, who was violently thrashing around. His optics had a scared but determined glint to them as he approached his old friend. Then, he threw himself down on Ironhide, pinning his upper half down with his entire body.

Ratchet hurried over and quickly searched for the right wires to disconnect.

"Optimus, you have to keep him still! He's still moving too much!"

Optimus put more pressure down on Ironhide, which gave Ratchet the two seconds he needed to pluck out three red wires from the main circuitry in Ironhide's neck.

Ironhide immediately relaxed and his yelling stopped. He was still in pain, but the pain no longer radiated from his Spark chamber throughout his body, so his reflex reactions were deactivated.

"Ironhide! Ironhide, old friend, can you hear me?" Optimus asked, gently rolling him over on his back.

"He can't respond, Optimus," Ratchet said, very somber. "Our bodies and Spark chambers were created to handle only one Spark. Having two Sparks…its almost unthinkable. They're both fighting for control over his body, thus neither Spark controls anything. And when…if…they manage to stabilize, chances are it could be too late to save them. Having two Sparks would be like the entirety of who you are…your soul…being crushed. Its literally a slow suffocation of your being, the most painful experience you could imagine. A Spark doesn't need a body to feel pain." he paused, sighing tiredly. "They need to be separated as soon as possible for the best chances of their survival."

Optimus was solemn. "What does all this mean?"

"If Jazz's and Ironhide's Sparks don't stabilize, I can't separate them. If I can't separate them…worst case scenario, they both die."

"And the best case scenario, if they can't be separated?"

"Best case…they live, but lose everything about them that made them unique. No personalities. No memories. Just a pure machine with two soul-less Sparks."

* * *

Ratchet almost collapsed as he walked back to Artemis. While he was working on Ironhide, his holoform had managed to seal all the blood vessels in Artemis's arm and put a temporary covering over her entire shoulder once he finished amputating her arm. He also hooked her up to an IV drip with a blood substitute he created just days earlier out of pure curiosity. Thank Primus it worked.

Ratchet's holoform had to start chest compressions and use the makeshift defibrilator twice on Artemis, each time begging her to stay with him and not to give up on him. Both times her heart restarted.

He also had started on the slashes in her stomach, which went deeper than he expected. He was just about to work on fixing those when he shut off his holoform as he walked back in.

He was exhausted. He needed energon and a deep recharge cycle. But he couldn't stop now.

Drawing on the very last reserves of energon he had, Ratchet got up to fix the slashes. He had to patch up several of her internal organs before he could finally seal the deep cuts closed.

"_Come on, Ratchet. Keep going. You have to keep going. Not until there's absolutely nothing else you can do…"_

Ratchet then turned his attention to the gigantic swelling of her head. "_This is bad…"_ he thought, scanning her. "_Broken in three places…severe bruising..."_

He needed to fix that now. It was risky because Ratchet was so tired thus more prone to making mistakes, but if he waited it would definitely be too late. He'd take his chances.

Ratchet grabbed his drill and went to work.

* * *

Optimus came in a few hours later, carrying Ironhide with him. Ratchet was finishing wrapping up Artemis's head with bandages when he looked up, and wordlessly pointed to a table nearby.

Optimus laid Ironhide on the table. His optics flickered constantly, and his body twitched from time to time. Just a few of the side effects of having two Sparks in one body. Optimus closed his optics. His own Spark was throbbing with pain in empathy for Jazz and Ironhide. And Artemis.

The astrosecond Ratchet tied the bandage, he collapsed on the floor into a very, very, very deep recharge cycle. There was absolutely nothing else he could do for anyone. They would have to fight it on their own now, fight the ever-growing odds against them. Optimus laid Ratchet on his back before falling against the wall himself.

"Now…we wait," he said. A single tear escaped his optics.

* * *

**So, not too bad, was it? I hope not. :P**


	6. Depend

****OFFICIALLY REVAMPED CHAPTER****

**This has been revamped, but I left the same intro/end note.**

**Okays! Chapter 6 is finally here! I added another scene here that I thought would be cool, but wasn't originally in my idea, to make up for the fact that it took me so long to write it. So enjoy the wonderful length of this chapter!**

**Review please! Pleeeeaaaase!**

**^_^ That reminds me. I want to thank all of my reviewers so far, as of 7/15/09, really early in the morning:**

JillianandIronhide

num1Ironhidefan

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TransformersFreak01

Ironhide FLY

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**Thank you all so much! I really flailed in happiness every time I read a review. ^_^**

**And now, without further ado...Chapter Six!**

* * *

Ratchet stayed in recharge for over 24 hours. During that time, Optimus had stayed in the room watching over the three unconscious beings, only leaving to go find Bumblebee. He had been in battles before, and had lost comrades before, but this was much more than just that.

"Bumblebee, are you alright?" Optimus asked, kneeling down in front of his door. The door slid open, revealing Bumblebee on the other side.

"I think so, Optimus. It was just so much to take in, I couldn't handle it then," he replied, looking down. He was obviously still shaken by everything. But then again, everyone was.

"How is everyone?"

"Ratchet did an amazing job at helping all three of them. They're still critical, and Artemis is in deep stasis, but they're fighters. They won't give up easily."

"Wait…all _three_?"

"_Ah, that's right. Bumblebee doesn't know yet._" Optimus sighed and told Bumblebee everything that happened since he left the medbay.

"Can I go see them?" Bumblebee asked when he finished talking.

Optimus stood up. "This way."

* * *

The next few days were slightly better. Ratchet said that Artemis was no longer in critical condition, and once she got out of her deep stasis she would be well on her way to recovery. Ironhide's and Jazz's Sparks had even started to stabilize, though they were still a long way off from total stability. But they clung to any sign of hope they could get.

Optimus was often found in the hallway because he was too big to fit inside the room when Ratchet was working. Bumblebee would wander in sometimes, and Ratchet even used his help on repairs. It was a sign of how tough it really was. Ratchet _never _used to let Bumblebee help.

"_They're improving well," _he thought. _"Especially Artemis. No normal human girl should be recovering this fast. Or even survive such injuries! There's something else about her…"_

Ratchet dismissed this thought for the moment as he grabbed the finished robotic arm for her. "Time to see how well this works."

* * *

"Ugh…wow. That was some fight," Artemis said, sitting up and squinting. "And why is it so frikin bright in here?"

Everything was pristine white. She looked down. "At least my clothes aren't white," she said, relieved. Then she realized that she didn't feel any pain. She had no injuries.

Was she dead? Where was she? And that overwhelming whiteness…

She didn't like it one bit.

She got up and started walking. Artemis didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. She felt the need to move.

After what seemed like hours to her, she saw something. No, two somethings. They were moving. And they weren't white!

She ran towards the figures, and the closer she got, the more familiar they looked.

"Wait…hey! Its Ironhide! And Jazz!" she said to herself. Then she yelled, "Ironhide! Jazz! Over here!"

The two mechs were startled by the noise. "Was that…Artemis?" Jazz asked, looking around. Sure enough, she caught up with them.

"Artemis! What…what are you doing here?" Ironhide asked, confused.

"I have no idea. Really. I just woke up here and started walking."

Ironhide shared a small concerned look with Jazz.

"You shouldn't be here, Artemis. You need to go back."

"Go back? Go back where?"

"Back home," Jazz said, pointing to a window. Huh, weird. That window wasn't there before.

Jazz and Ironhide sat down while Artemis walked up to the window, and gasped. She was looking down at herself and Ironhide, Ratchet running around frantically between them.

"What's going on?" Artemis asked, getting a little more freaked out.

"This is where the souls of some Sparks go, Artemis," Jazz said quietly. "It's the Matrix. You shouldn't be here. You need to go back."

"But…but what about you? Why are you even here?"

Ironhide answered her question. "Because I couldn't let Jazz go. I took his Spark into my own body. And that's what led us here," he said. "Our souls couldn't take the enormous amount of pain, so they…we…escaped here. As a last resort."

"Are you dead?" Artemis asked, alarmed.

"Not yet. Just stuck here, waiting," Ironhide replied.

"Waiting for what?"

"To see if we can go back."

"Our Sparks can't stabilize until our souls return to them. And Ratchet can't do much of anything unless our Sparks stabilize," Jazz added.

"But what if you can't go back?" Artemis asked.

Ironhide sighed. "Then we _will_ die."

"NO!" she yelled, running to Ironhide and hugging him. "You can't die! You both can't die!"

Jazz watched as Ironhide put a gentle hand around the crying girl with a surprised look. She never hugged him before, and Ironhide didn't think she liked him that much. He was proven wrong when she started crying, clinging to his waist like her life depended on it. But she still had to leave.

"Artemis," Ironhide said quietly. "You need to leave. You can leave any time that you want. You aren't even supposed to be here."

"But I don't want to leave! Not without you!" She sniffed. Looking up, she added, "How do you know when you get to go back?"

"We don't know," Jazz admitted.

"It is up to Primus if we do or don't. It isn't our choice."

"Well that's too bad, because I'm bringing you back with me," Artemis said, determined.

"Artemis…"

"It won't work…"

But she ignored their words, got up, and grabbed each of their fingers.

"We're going home. _Now_," she said fiercely.

Everything went black.

The next thing they heard was beeping. Lots of beeping.

"What the…" Ratchet said, looking around. All his machines started beeping at once. But…that could only mean…

"Optimus! Bumblebee! I need your help!"

* * *

"Okay, this will be very, very tricky," Ratchet said. He had Ironhide and Jazz side by side, both of their Spark chambers open. "Bumblebee, turn on the power supply for Jazz. Make sure it doesn't surge!"

Bumblebee obeyed, turning on the machine that was hooked up to Jazz and keeping a careful optic on both the machine and the lieutenant's body. The device would temporarily power Jazz's body for preparation for the return of his Spark, making it easier for it to take over his body functions.

"Okay, Optimus. I need you to hold Ironhide down while I grab Jazz's Spark."

Optimus reinforced the restraints he had on Ironhide, and placed both his hands on his Weapons Specialist's shoulders for extra help.

Ratchet took a deep breath. He steadied his shaking hands, and prepared to take Jazz's Spark…the one that just expelled his personality. He gently grabbed it and pulled.

Ironhide's entire body shook violently. "Keep him as still as possible!" Ratchet yelled, slowly pulling the Spark out more and more. He finally succeeded, but only just. Ironhide's jerking had almost caused him to drop Jazz's Spark. And that would have been disastrous.

"Bumblebee, now!"

Bumblebee slowly turned the power all the way down on the machine connected to Jazz while Ratchet carefully replaced his Spark in his body. Once it was in place, Ratchet closed his Spark chamber and anxiously waited to see if it worked.

"Come on…come on, Jazz. You can do this…" Ratchet said, worried.

Then his systems started working, pumping energon through his lines, and his body jerked back to life while his optics flashed. Relieved, Ratchet ran a full scan over both Ironhide and Jazz. Both had vitals that were stabilizing. Thank Primus.

Optimus and Bumblebee shared relieved looks as Ratchet collapsed on the medbay floor, for the millionth time that month. "I'm going to rip them apart when they come back online!" He yelled, exhausted.

* * *

Artemis opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was pain. Her head felt like a lead weight pulsating pain whenever it wanted to, her arm tingled uncomfortably, and her abdomen burned when she tried to sit up. That, she could've lived without. But then she noticed color. Oh, color, glorious color! No more overwhelming brightness!

"_How did I get back here?" _she wondered. The last thing she remembered, she was in the Matrix, yelling that she would bring Ironhide and Jazz back with her. And now she's back. How did she do it? But Artemis soon dismissed this thought, as it hurt to think about it.

Then she remembered Ironhide and Jazz. She immediately tried to sit up but laid back down because of the pain, so she slowly turned her head to look around instead, wincing. She _really_ could have lived without this whole pain thing. But she did spot them, with Ratchet. Both of them. Jazz was laughing while Ratchet was yelling at a bemused Ironhide.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again, Ironhide! I swear I will weld your aft to this floor and keep you there for eternity! You scared the living slag out of me and the others! I had to work nonstop to keep you as stable as possible from that idiotic stunt you pulled! What were you even thinking?!? Do you even USE your processors? Are you listening to me? Jazz! Stop laughing! This isn't funny! I spent _days_ repairing you for the _second_ time in under two weeks! Do you think that's something to laugh about??_"_

Ratchet was furiously pacing in front of the two mechs when he looked around and saw that Artemis was awake. His expression immediately relaxed, if only a little, as he walked over to her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, scanning her at the same time. Vitals were stable and strengthening. Good.

"Like I could use another round of painkillers," she replied slowly, wincing. Even talking hurt. _Why_ did everything have to hurt so much?

Ratchet obliged and returned with the requested meds. He couldn't bring himself to vent at her too, even if she did cause him so much worry and stress and even more recharge-deprivation than he was used to…he shook his head. He'd just yell at Ironhide and Jazz more instead. "And how does your new arm feel?"

"Wha…_new_ arm?" She looked over to her left arm. "Oh…you mean this."

Artemis didn't even notice that her left arm was made of metal. Sure, it tingled, but it didn't scream out "I'm made of metal!" to her. It just felt so natural. "Hey, does this thing come with a cannon?" She asked, testing the joints.

Ironhide laughed as he walked over. "You know, 'Ratch, that might not be a bad idea."

"_You_ don't get any input," Ratchet said, still fuming over what Ironhide did. "Anyway, you should still be sitting! You're not fully repaired yet!"

"Aw, come on 'Ratch! We're both alive anyway, and that's all that matters, right? You can't stay mad forever!" Jazz said happily, smacking the CMO on the shoulder.

"Watch me," Ratchet growled. "And _you_ should definitely stay lying down. Ripped in two, welded back together, torn apart _again_, sent to the Matrix, and brought back again in such a short amount of time…I swear you do this just to tick me off."

Bumblebee and Optimus interrupted Ratchet and his fuming. "Nice to see you two again!" Optimus said cheerfully to Jazz and Ironhide. "How are you both feeling?"

"Still get a few pain spasms, but Ratchet says that'll fade soon," Ironhide answered, grinning slightly.

"About the same here for me too, Optimus. Except I'm still getting used to the new welds in my leg to keep it on," Jazz added. He was already back to his light-hearted self.

"You should be glad I even put your leg back on this time," Ratchet glowered. His anger was practically seeping out of his vents.

Optimus smiled. It was good to see his whole team being normal again. He glanced over at Artemis, who was knocked out from her pain medicine. He took this chance to bring up something Ratchet mentioned.

"You said she brought you back? From the Matrix?"

The entire mood in the room became more serious.

"Yeah Optimus…she just…did. Neither of us know how she did it," Jazz said.

Ratchet sat down, confused. "But she shouldn't have even been there! How did she get there in the first place? She doesn't have a Spark. I scanned her three times after you told me."

Silence met this question. Then Optimus spoke again. "Whatever the reason is, we do know one thing. Artemis is no ordinary girl. And she needs to be protected at all times now. Ironhide, I think you would be best to be her guardian."

Ironhide nodded. "Thank you, Prime. I won't leave her side," he said. And he meant it. He _wanted_ to watch over this girl.

Optimus replaced his solemn demeanor with a happier one. "That's enough for now. We'll finish talking later. Now is a time for happiness!" he said, optics shining.

"_Primus knows we've had very little to be happy about these past years."_

* * *

Ironhide was true to his word, and didn't leave Artemis's bedside while she recovered. He made it a personal mission to make sure she was safe every minute of every hour of every day. When she asked about this a few days into his "mission," he pretended he was busy caring for his cannons so he couldn't hear her. After this happened for the third time Artemis just smiled to herself and let her "Big 'ol Metal Teddy Bear," as she nicknamed him, stay with her 24/7.

Jazz came by a few times to visit, after Ratchet had fixed up a few more of his components with a little more force than was necessary. Artemis liked his company a lot too. He could always make her laugh and his attitude was a contagious one.

"Feeling better today?" Jazz asked.

"Loads better," Artemis smiled. "The pain has gone down a ton and the swelling is almost gone. My face might look normal by next week!"

Jazz laughed and continued talking with her, while Ironhide listened. He knew that Jazz had a second motive for coming to visit so often. He was reminding him every time to tell Artemis about what happened. _"Tell her," _he urged through databursting. _"You promised me you would!"_

"_I will, I just don't know how to bring it up," _Ironhide replied to him. This was partly true, but the main reason was because he was still afraid of how she would react.

"_Then let me help you out with that," _Jazz replied to him, smirking. As he got up to leave, he said, "Hey, Artemis. I think Ironhide wants to talk to you about something!" and he sped out the door.

"_You can thank me later, 'Hide."_

"_Don't count on it." _Ironhide sighed. Now, if he could come up with a good excuse…

"What is it, Ironhide? Everything okay?" Artemis asked, concerned. She looked at him with her deep green eyes, and he immediately gave in. He had to tell her now.

"Its about our past," he began slowly, shuttering his optics.

"Our past? You mean like since I moved here?"

"No. You may not remember this, but…we've met before," Ironhide continued. Confusion was all over her face at first, trying to figure out what he meant. "I really don't think we have, Ironhide. Are you sure it was me?" She asked.

He put his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on his hands, optics still shuttered. "Think back. Is there any time that you can't remember what happened?"

Artemis thought for a minute, then replied, "Um…yeah. The only time I can't remember was when my family…" her voice trailed off. Pieces were starting to come together.

"I was there that day, fighting a Decepticon. More importantly…" Ironhide had even started shaking a little with nervousness. This would be hard to get out. "More importantly…it was…_my_ cannon blasts…that caused the explosion."

This information hit Artemis like a brick wall. The mech she had grown so attached to, who was her best friend and metallic big brother…was the one who killed her family? It didn't make sense to her at all.

Ironhide continued his story, averting his optics so he wouldn't have to look at Artemis, or the hurt and the tears in her eyes. "I fell into a trap Blackout set for me. He knew I was cocky, especially about my cannons. And he used that to trick me into shooting at him. And your family was right behind him when he dodged my attack." Ironhide paused again, trying to regain some composure. Still shaking slightly, he continued, "I saw you as you walked out unharmed. And then you looked at me…and I made a promise to you. I promised that if we ever met again, that I would protect you with my life. But I failed at that. Not that you'd want me protecting you now anyway…"

The memories from that day instantly came flooding back to Artemis. She remembered it…the explosion, the Autobots, and especially Ironhide. And she also understood that it wasn't his fault.

Ironhide was surprised to feel her wrap her arms around his chest, hugging him tightly. He was expecting her to hit him, not hug him.

"That's not true, Ironhide. You didn't fail. I'm still here! And I definitely still want you to be here for me. You are my Big 'ol Metal Teddy Bear, after all," she smiled through the tears. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. Because I don't."

"But…I'm the reason you don't have any family!"

"But if I hadn't moved into an apartment on my own, I never would have taken those walks at night. And I never would have met you or the others," she said, more tears falling down her cheeks. "And I'm really, really glad I met you all. It's fate, Ironhide. You can't change it. What happens, happens."

Ironhide finally looked down at the girl still hugging him. The sincerity in her eyes was obvious, and the stubborn mech found himself believing her. She wasn't mad at him. She didn't hate him. She wanted him to stay.

And he smiled.

He gently hugged her back, unable to hold in the relief he was feeling. It was like the weight of Cybertron was lifted from his shoulders.

"I love you, Ironhide."

"I love you too, Artemis."

A moment of comfortable silence, then…

"I _told_ you that you'd thank me for it!" Jazz yelled from the doorway.

"Way to ruin the moment, Jazz," Ratchet said, smacking him in the head.

* * *

**Yay, chapter six is finished!! ^_^**

**But I'm going to make one thing very clear right now.**

_**THERE IS NO ROMANTIC CONNECTION BETWEEN IRONHIDE AND ARTEMIS AT ALL.**_

**Thank you! :P**

**Oh, and please review!**

**You know...reviews will give me more incentive to update faster. *evil grin***


	7. Descent

**Okay! I slightly revised this chapter because I don't really like it that much. Its short though, and is kinda just a connecting chapter. Chapter 8 is almost done and I promise its a good one. ^_^  
**

**Anyway, thank you again to all my reviewers! You all rock. :)  
**

* * *

A week later, Artemis was finally allowed out of the medbay by a reluctant Ratchet. He wanted to keep her there longer, but after a long argument, Artemis surprisingly won. As she walked out of the medbay with Ironhide, she was greeted by Optimus, Jazz, and Bumblebee congratulating her on being the first to win a big argument against him. But Ratchet's glares soon put their words to a stop.

"It feels wonderful to be able to walk again!" Artemis exclaimed, breaking the tense silence.

"I know that feeling," Jazz replied, chuckling.

Optimus suddenly signaled for everyone to be quiet and pressed his finger to his audio receptor.

"What is it, Optimus?" Ratchet asked when he lowered his hand.

"Good news, everyone," Optimus said. "More Autobots are on their way to Earth!"

A flurry of questions hit Optimus like a tidal wave.

"Who's coming?"

"How many are there?"

"When will they be here?"

"Is Wheeljack coming?"

"Do you _want_ the base to explode?!?"

"What about Sunny and Sides?"

"Who cares about them? What about Perceptor?"

"Will Prowl be here?"

"Calm down, everyone!" Optimus yelled. "A total of eight Autobots are arriving in three groups." He waited until everyone settled down again before continuing. "The first group is Prowl, Red Alert, and Jolt. They are arriving tonight."

Jazz smirked. Prowl and Red Alert were pretty paranoid, therefore fun to mess with.

"The second group is Jetfire, Wheeljack, and Perceptor. They will be here in two days time."

Ironhide rolled his optics. "Wonderful. I'll miss having a place to stay."

Ratchet sighed in relief while everyone else agreed with Ironhide, even Optimus. "Good! I can use all the help I can get in the medbay. I have a hard enough time keeping up with everyone now!" Ratchet said, glaring particularly at Ironhide, Jazz, and Artemis.

"The third group will be arriving in five days time," Optimus continued. He tried to keep from smiling when he said, "and they are Sunstreaker and Sideswipe."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Ratchet had actually dropped to his knees and continued wailing with his hands over his face.

"Hahaha…poor Ratchet. I've heard a lot of stories about their pranks on him," Artemis said, laughing.

"It's not funny! They are the two most annoying bots I've ever had the displeasure to know!" he yelled indignantly. Everyone tried to suppress their smiles as Ratchet glared at them.

"Aw, it'll be okay, Ratch! Maybe they've changed!" Jazz said brightly.

"And maybe you'll stop getting your limbs ripped off," Ratchet glowered.

Optimus interrupted the soon-to-be argument. "We need to prepare for the first group coming tonight. They'll be here in just a few hours."

* * *

The Autobots and Artemis waited just outside their base in a large, open field that was to be the landing area for incoming bots. They had dug out a big area and refilled it with softer dirt instead of the hard, rocky ground that used to be there. This would help with the impact.

"I think I see them!" Ironhide yelled, pointing up at the starry night sky.

"But…why are there only two?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus narrowed his optics. "This can't be a good sign. I'm picking up signals from Jolt and Red Alert, but not from Prowl."

"Primus…Optimus! They're not in their entry protoforms!" Ratchet yelled, watching the two mechs plummet towards the ground with fear.

Two earth-shuddering impacts later, the Autobots raced towards the craters formed by Jolt and Red Alert. Both mechs had survived the impact, but were dazed from the sudden shock. Ratchet had run forward to check on the two of them.

"We have a situation, Optimus," Ratchet said gravely after scanning both of them. "Many of these injuries were not caused by their crash landing. They were attacked in earth's upper atmosphere."

"But who could do such…" Optimus started, but then realized who it was. "Soundwave," he said angrily.

"Ratchet? Is that you?" Red Alert asked weakly.

"Yes, its me. You crash landed here. Give me a minute to fix you up some," Ratchet replied, already doing preliminary repairs on him. Luckily none of his injuries were life-threatening.

"We…were ambushed. We had to come out of our entry protoforms…to defend ourselves. Prowl stayed back…to give us a chance to make it."

Jolt managed to sit upright, holding the side of his head in his hand. The younger mech took the landing easier than Red Alert did. "It was horrible, Optimus. Soundwave came out of nowhere. Prowl stuck back to take him head on. We lost contact with him and can't pick up his energy signal."

Suddenly another bright light appeared in the sky. Everyone's scanners picked up Prowl's signal instantly, albeit a very weak signal. Without a second thought everyone but Ratchet and Red Alert raced towards Prowl's landing site, which was a few miles north.

"Prowl!" Jazz yelled, reaching the place where he had crash landed. "Can you hear me?" The mech leaned over the edge of the crater that Prowl formed on impact. What he saw was disturbing. Prowl was sprawled out at the bottom, various circuits sparking and energon lines leaking into a pool around him. He had obviously had a hard time fighting Soundwave.

Optimus reached the crater and upon seeing Prowl in such a bad condition, he immediately called for Ratchet to come as soon as he could. The medic arrived shortly after Optimus's call.

"We need to get him to the medbay. I need more tools than the ones I have now." He said calmly, despite the scare of seeing yet another bot in such bad condition. Optimus jumped into the crater and carefully picked up the offline Prowl.

"_I hope this string of injuries stops soon,"_ Ratchet thought as he raced after Optimus, who was running full speed back to base with black and gold mech in his arms.

* * *

Ratchet was definitely overworked. Anyone who glanced at him could tell, either by the way he dragged his feet when he had to walk, or by the tired look in his optics, or even by the lack of his normal snappy attitude. Prowl was improving well through Ratchet's nonstop work though, much to the delight of the other Autobots on base.

In the medbay, Artemis was furiously trying to convince Ratchet to let her help out.

"You still need to recover from that near-death experience," Ratchet said for the hundredth time that day.

"But I'm way better now, and don't deny that you couldn't use my help!" Artemis argued back. She felt a little bad for being this stubborn when Ratchet already had enough to worry about, but she wanted to help!

"And I'm getting help tomorrow. I can hold out one more day. Ironhide," he replied, gesturing towards the large mech. Ironhide got his hint and gently picked Artemis up and took her from the medbay. Artemis glowered up at him, which just caused him to chuckle to himself. "He's right, you know. You do need more rest."

"I don't see you resting so much, and you were in just as bad a condition as I was!" Artemis retorted.

"Because I'm made of metal. You aren't. Well, minus that arm of yours."

A discontented snort came as a reply. Suddenly, Ironhide had an idea. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "I really think you should get a cannon for your arm now. We could go pick one out now if you'd like."

Artemis immediately looked up at him. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Sure! I know we'll all feel better if you have at least some way to defend yourself," Ironhide replied, smiling at her enthusiasm. "And what better mech to help you pick the perfect one than the Weapons Specialist of the team?"

Artemis laughed at this. "You're going to love this ego-boost, aren't you?"

"You know I am," he replied contentedly.

* * *

"You sure this is the one you want?" Ironhide asked.

"Definitely. I don't want it to be too bulky, but it still had to have some nice firepower. It's perfect," Artemis replied.

"Alright, then. Let's get to it!"

Ironhide had asked Ratchet to help him, since no more work was needed on Prowl. At first the CMO declined, saying he'd like a moment of rest, but soon changed his mind when he heard Ironhide say he was going to do it himself.

"Okay, this might sting a little," Ratchet warned, sticking a nice sized needle into Artemis's metal arm. She yelped when he injected the numbing liquid. "A _little_? That felt like you just stabbed me!"

Ratchet laughed. "Oh, I love my work…"

A few moments later, the cannon was installed in Artemis's arm and was ready to be tested out.

"This is so cool!" she said excitedly, practicing bringing the cannon out and putting it back. "Can I shoot something? Pleaaaseeee?"

"Well, we do need to make sure it works properly," Ironhide said, smiling to himself.

"Fine, but not in my medbay! Go outside to do that!" Ratchet snapped. His old personality was finally coming back. Which was actually a relief to the Autobots. Things just didn't seem right without Ratchet's grumbling and wrench-throwing antics.

Ironhide held out his hand for Artemis to climb on, and the two headed straight for the door that led outside.

"Okay, I want you to aim for my chest," he said, walking across the small field the Autobots used as a firing range.

"Okay," she replied, warming up the cannon.

"Use your other arm to support it. You don't want to be thrown back from the force," Ironhide suggested. Artemis obeyed without questioning. He _was_ the Weapons Specialist, after all. She looked back. A crowd of bots had come to see her test out her new weapon, which made her nervous all of the sudden. What if she missed and made a fool of herself? What if something went horribly wrong and the cannon exploded, or worse…what if she actually injured Ironhide? Ironhide sensed this doubt and told her, "Don't think too hard about anything. Right now, its you, your cannon, and your target. Nothing else matters."

Artemis swallowed hard and nodded, taking aim. Then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and fired.

A crowd of cheers and laughs met her as she shyly opened her eyes. Ironhide had quickly jumped out of the way, as her cannon blast would have hit a few feet below his chest, in some very…_sensitive_ armor.

Ironhide laughed with everyone else. "That was great. Just when you shoot at me next time, you might want to keep your eyes open."

* * *

**Okay! Just a few things I want to point out. You may have noticed I didn't talk much about Red Alert, Prowl, or Jolt. Thats because I'm still working on their personalities and such. Though I've decided I'm going to base Prowl off of the Transformers: Animated Prowl, which you may have noticed from his black and gold colors I gave him. Why? Because Prowl rocked that series. ^_^**

**I also didn't go into much detail about the attack Soundwave gave because Prowl is still recovering, and I decided he'll be the one to tell everyone about it. But poor Prowlie here is ordered to bedrest by Ratchet, and isn't allowed to strain himself at all. :P  
**


	8. Devastation

**Yippee! Chapter 8! ^_^**

**Hopefully this one really is better than the last chapter. -_-**

**So, if you like this chapter, tell me in a review! Please? ^_^**

* * *

Artemis improved her aim over the next few days, with help from Ironhide. (Though he never again made himself a target for her, _just_ in case.) Red Alert had immediately started griping about the lack of security around the base, and took it into his own hands to bring it "up to par." Everyone saw the Chief of Security SUV driving from one end of the base to the other, spewing out every minor detail that could lead to a Decepticon attack at the top of his vocal processors.

"Look! This rock is too big! A 'Con could hide behind this, and if our computer systems were down, we could be ambushed!" he yelled dramatically.

"Artemis, aim at that 'giant' boulder over there," Ironhide said, sighing. He was hoping Red would keep his distance from their target practice. Guess not.

_Boom_.

"See, Red? All taken care of," Ironhide said to the Security Chief. Artemis had expertly hit the boulder to break it into many smaller pieces. He watched with relief when Red Alert went off to bother someone else about a minute detail that could be overlooked. No one could really blame him though…after he heard their base was attacked before, he literally had a Spark attack. (Much to Ratchet's distress…"Why can't anyone be healthy around here for once?!?" he yelled exasperatedly, re-energizing Red's Spark with a little help from Jolt.) The astrosecond he was released, Red Alert immediately set out to dramatically improve the security in and around the base. And despite his annoying tendency, everyone felt safer with the top-grade security.

Jolt, on the other hand, took to sneaking around and playing pranks on everyone. Though he did do some solo and a few others with Jazz's help, (including gluing some of Ratchet's tools to their trays, which resulted in the entire tray being thrown at them with a vengeance) he saved most of his ideas for Sunny and Sides to show up. The deep blue Chevy Volt decided he'd let the masters help him out with his best ideas.

Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Jetfire had arrived, though Prowl wasn't allowed to come greet them because Ratchet utterly refused to let him up off his medbay berth. But Prowl had recovered well, and was finally allowed to walk around. Which, despite his everlasting patience, was something he looked forward to, just so he could get out of Ratchet's presence. The medic was constantly complaining about the onslaught of injured bots and yelled for no real reason. Well, Wheeljack's explosions excepted. The three scientists had their own special, almost-explosive-proof room to build new devices and test them out. Perceptor was a perfectionist, Jetfire was still new to the science realm, and Wheeljack…made the most un-reactive substances explode with a fury.

"Prowl, I take it you're feeling better?" Optimus asked as said mech entered the main room. Ironhide looked up too, having just come in from target practice. Artemis was in her room relaxing.

"Yes, Optimus, I am. I'm surprised at how well I've recovered myself. Soundwave isn't exactly the easiest Decepticon to fight," the Cyber Ninja replied. He was devoid of emotion, with a blank face and blue visor concealing his optics. Just like always.

"Well, it's a mixture of pure luck and the fact that I'm already used to fixing up anyone who's involved in a near-death catastrophe!" came Ratchet's snappy reply from the medbay across the hall.

Optimus allowed himself to chuckle a little at this. "I can see why you wanted to get away from him."

Ironhide snorted in agreement. A ghost of a smile played across Prowl's face, but was quickly replaced by his usual emotionless demeanor. "Yes. I suppose you'd like to hear more about the attack?"

Optimus nodded.

Prowl activated his hologram projector. "I think this will be easier to explain it all."

The hologram showed two Autobots in their entry protoforms in earth's upper atmosphere, as it was from Prowl's point of view.

_The mechs were talking back and forth with excited tones and gathering information about earth. It was obvious they had been traveling for some time. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Red Alert was shot at. Immediately all three bots transformed into their robot modes, and turned to face a satellite with their weapons readied. The group paused for a moment, not knowing if they should attack it or not, until the satellite transformed._

"_It's Soundwave!" Prowl bellowed. "Autobots, attack!"_

_A series of blasts and shots were exchanged between the Bots and the 'Con. Soundwave was obviously used to fighting in these conditions and had the upper hand of the battle. The other three mechs had trouble with the floating and being pushed back every time they shot a cannon._

_Red Alert was suddenly attacked by an electric cord from Soundwave's arm, which hit him in the chest and immediately started spreading across him and digging into his armor and coiling around his systems. Prowl threw two ninja stars to cut him free of the cord._

"_We can't keep fighting him like this! We need help!" Jolt yelled as Red Alert pulled the now dead coils from his body._

"_Red Alert, Jolt, continue to base. I'll hold Soundwave off for now!" Prowl answered._

"_Are you crazy? We all need to make a run for it!" Jolt argued, narrowly dodging an attack._

"_No, Prowl's right. If we all go, Soundwave could follow us. We don't want to bring him right to our base!" Red Alert yelled. Jolt looked like he wanted to protest, but gave in and followed Red further into earth's atmosphere._

_Prowl continued fighting Soundwave with everything he had. It was a futile effort and he knew it, but someone had to keep Soundwave occupied while the others escaped. The fight didn't last much longer; Soundwave obviously took a disinterest to the fight, so he gave Prowl two direct hits to his chest and abdomen areas and was propelled down into the earth. Soundwave transformed back into his satellite mode and left it at that._

The hologram faded. Optimus looked like he was contemplating something.

"Are you alright, Prime?" Ironhide asked.

The commander sighed. "These attacks…they don't seem right. First Ravage, when he obviously could have done more damage but pulled off. Now Soundwave, who could have easily killed all three of you…no offense…but he pulled back and allowed you to get away. They're just toying with us. Its almost like-"

"Its part of a bigger plan," Prowl finished. "I know. I've been thinking about it a lot since it happened too. Do you think…this girl, Artemis, is part of the reason?"

Artemis, who was just about to enter the room to ask Ironhide something, held back at the sound of her name and listened from the shadows.

Optimus looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I could tell the first time I saw her that she's not normal. And I don't mean the metal arm."

"We did know from the start she was special," Optimus agreed.

"I don't know if its because she's not human or anything, but she is indeed different," Prowl added, nodding. "The Decepticons might not know this much about her, but they know she's a weakness now. If she got kidnapped, even just as leverage, they could find out just how different she is. And whatever…whoever she is, I'm sure they could make it work to their advantage." The others nodded in agreement.

Artemis's eyes were wide with shock. _"They think I'm a freak?" _she thought.

Ironhide heaved a big sigh. "I'll admit I've been worried about her being here with all of us. She sticks out, especially as the only…human…to be around us. Its pretty dangerous."

When she heard Ironhide say this, Artemis immediately ran for the door, tears starting to stream down her face. She was angry and hurt and upset all at the same time. _"Of course I'm a danger. They probably wouldn't have let me stay if they would have known I'd be a Decepticon magnet. And I can't believe what they think of me. I mean, I know I'm not normal, but this is too much! So, giant alien robots think I'm some sort of freak? Do they want Ratchet and Perceptor to run all sorts of tests on me to find out what the hell I am? I stayed with them because I thought they treated me with respect and cared about me. But it was all fake. They just want me here because I'm _different_. And they don't want the Decepticons to have me to use as some sort of freaking weapon against them." _Artemis stopped running to catch her breath. She had been sprinting away from the abandoned airplane hangar without realizing it and angry tears flowed from her eyes. _"I wish I never met them." _Without looking back, Artemis continued to run away. Unfortunately she didn't hear the rest of the Autobots' conversation.

Ironhide continued. "I'm afraid she'll get hurt because she stays with us. I try to keep an eye on her as much as possible, but every time she's not in my sight I get a little worried."

Optimus agreed. "She should be protected even more now for her own safety. The Decepticons have witnessed firsthand that we all truly care about her."

"Someone should accompany her everywhere she goes. It might be easier if we all use our holoforms to do so when possible. Especially if she goes outside of the base," Prowl said.

"Good thinking," Optimus replied. "Ironhide, we should let Artemis know what we're going to do. Will you go get her? She must have her com link shut off."

Ironhide nodded and activated his holoform to go get her.

* * *

"Artemis, you awake?" Ironhide asked, his holoform knocking on the small door that led to Artemis's room. "Hello?" The 6'3" figure waited somewhat impatiently, his dark blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly and muscled arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in combat boots, jeans, and a black shirt, and his dark brown hair was neatly trimmed. He looked to be in his mid thirties. Sighing, he opened the door quietly and peered inside. The room was empty.

"Huh. I wonder where she went?" Ironhide asked himself. Just then Ratchet was coming down the hallway, having finally unglued his instruments.

"Hey, 'Ratch! You seen Artemis lately?" he asked from his protoform.

Ratchet looked down. "Oh, hey Ironhide. I'm not used to seeing you so small and puny," he joked. A strong glare returned his comment. "But no, I haven't seen her."

"I wonder where she is?" Ironhide asked. He felt a little tug of worry at his Spark.

"Let's find out," Ratchet said, activating his scanners.

"Well? Where is she?" Ironhide asked impatiently. Ratchet didn't answer right away. His optic ridges were furrowed together and he looked confused. Now Ironhide really felt worried.

"What's wrong?"

"My scanners aren't picking up her energy signal."

"Do you mean…" Ironhide started.

"She's not on base."

Ironhide's holoform immediately disappeared. Back in the main room, Optimus and Prowl could tell there was something wrong.

"What is it? Is Artemis okay?" Prowl asked, a slight hint of worry in his voice. Even though he'd only been there a few days, he had also become attached to this girl.

"Artemis is gone."

Optimus paused for an astrosecond before opening a communication link with every Autobot on base. "Everyone. Meet in the main room, immediately! We have an urgent situation."

Within two minutes all eleven mechs reported to the room. Many looked confused but could tell there was something wrong, especially from Ironhide's frantic pacing back and forth in the room.

"What's wrong, Optimus?" Jazz asked.

Optimus prepared himself before replying. "Artemis is gone."

"What?!?" Jazz yelled, voicing the others' thoughts as they stood in shock.

"Do you think she was kidnapped?" Jolt asked worriedly.

"The chances of a Cybertronian getting through my defense system are insignificantly small," Red Alert replied. "If she was kidnapped, it was by humans."

"No, she's too tough to be kidnapped by them," Ironhide said, still pacing. "And she would have used the com link Perceptor made for her to contact us."

"The only other conclusion is that she ran away," Ratchet said, shuttering his optics.

"But why? She loves it here, doesn't she?" Bumblebee asked looking around. "She always said we were the best thing that happened to her."

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop across the hall. Suddenly, Prowl's head snapped up. "She heard us."

"What?"

"She heard our conversation, Ironhide. Or, part of it," he continued.

"If she only heard up to the first part of what Ironhide said…" Optimus mused aloud.

"…Then she could get the wrong idea." Ironhide finished.

"What's going on?" Perceptor asked, looking at the three mechs.

Prowl played back the earlier conversation, pausing it where they thought Artemis had run off, then continued playing the rest of the conversation.

"Oh..."

Optimus stood up. "We must search for her. Ironhide, you go with Jazz and Prowl. Red Alert, you, Jolt, and Ratchet go together. Jetfire, you stay here with Perceptor in case she comes back. Wheeljack, Bumblebee, you're with me. Autobots, transform and roll out!"

* * *

Artemis quickly lost her way in the thick wooded hills that surrounded the Autobot base. She wandered around for over an hour before she decided to take a break, sitting by a tree and hugging her knees to her chest and crying. "_Why?_" she kept asking herself. "_Why, why, why?_" She felt so betrayed. She spent so much time with them, leaving her past life behind in an instant (not that it was much of a life, but still…) to come live with them, practically brought two of them back to life, one of them _twice_…she always tried to keep the mood on their base happy, no matter what she was feeling or what was going on. Some days when she felt like crying, she would pretend to be sleeping in her room so no one would know she was upset. She couldn't let them know or they wouldn't be happy. Not like it mattered to her now. They were probably going crazy trying to find her. Well, let them freak out. Off in the distance Artemis could hear her name being called, probably by mech and holoform alike by the number of voices she heard. She decided to rest a little longer, then keep running so they don't find their "precious humanoid freak of a weapon."

* * *

"Artemis!"

Artemis jolted awake. Looking around the tree she was resting on, she quietly cursed herself for falling asleep. Now they were within sight range. It will be much harder to get out now.

Her name echoed all over the base and surrounding area constantly. Each Autobot had their holoforms activated to help cover more ground. Ironhide's face was covered in guilt.

"This isn't your fault, 'Hide. You had no way of knowing she was there," Jazz said, trying to comfort him.

"She trusted me. And now she thinks I betrayed her…maybe I did," he sighed, shaking his head. He didn't bother to wipe the lubricant from his eyes because he knew more would take its place.

"She trusted _all_ of us. You didn't betray her, Ironhide. We need to find her so we can explain that its all just a misunderstanding," Prowl replied, keeping the emotion out of his voice. He too felt guilty for her absence.

"What was that?" Jazz asked, pointing ahead. "I saw something move over there."

Artemis could have kicked herself. _"They see me! Damnit!" _she thought.

"It's Artemis!" Ironhide yelled. The large mech quickly caught up with her and managed to lightly grab her around the middle. He allowed his holoform to disappear while the other two mechs with him kept their distance. "Artemis. We need to talk. I-"

"Shut up!" Artemis yelled angrily. Anger burned in her eyes like a wildfire. "We don't need to talk! I heard quite enough from you already!"

Ironhide was taken aback at the force of her yelling. "But…you need to-"

"I don't need to do anything! _You_ need to let me go! You're not good for being someone's guardian! You can't protect anything! All you're good for is blowing stuff up, like my whole frikin family!"

Ironhide felt like someone had blasted his Spark at point-blank range. He was Sparkbroken to hear her say something so mean and cruel. But he still didn't let her go. He still needed to make sure she was safe.

Artemis had enough of waiting. Angrily, she took aim with her cannon and shot at Ironhide. The blast hit him in the neck, opening a main energon line. It wasn't so much the pain that made him drop Artemis than the shock. Artemis hit the ground hard and winced, but got up immediately and ran.

Jazz ran over to Ironhide while Prowl went after Artemis. "You okay, 'Hide?"

Ironhide was leaning against a large tree and holding the energon line in his neck closed to keep the flow to a minimum. "Yeah, it's just a nick. Call Ratchet over to help though, will you?"

"That's not what I meant."

Ironhide was silent. Soon Ratchet and the others were there too.

"Did she get away?" Optimus asked, though he didn't need an answer. He could already tell from the look on Ironhide's face. Ratchet fixed the broken energon line quickly, though Ironhide made no move to get up. "Maybe…" the black mech started.

"She's not right," everyone echoed around him. They heard everything that was said, as everyone kept their com links open to communicate with one another more easily.

Ironhide didn't look like he believed them. He just sat against the tree, unmoving, and staring off into space.

"_Optimus, I've got Artemis," _Prowl databurst the commander.

"_Good! Where are you? We need to get her back to base," _he databurst back, wondering why he didn't just use the com link.

"_I don't think that would be the best idea now. She doesn't want to be anywhere near our base. She has agreed not to run from me and talk as long as I don't tell anyone where we're going."_

Optimus sighed, knowing Prowl didn't use the com link so Artemis wouldn't know he was even contacting him. _"Okay, Prowl. I trust your judgment. Be safe."

* * *

_**Long chapter, huh? But it makes up for last chapter's lack of goodness. ^_^**

**I felt a little bad writing this. Poor Ironhide. T.T**

**Oh, and reviews would make Ironhide feel better. And if Ironhide feels better, so do the rest of the Autobots! So, if you want to make the Autobots happy-bots, you should review!**


	9. Distance

**I'm BAAAACCCKKKK! ^_^**

**After what was another long bout of writer's block, I got a sudden stroke of inspiration due to excessive amounts of Venom Energy Drinks, Sour Skittles, Pepperoni Pizza, Ben and Jerry's Phish Food Ice Cream, Movie Theatre Butter Popcorn, watching the Transformers movies over and over and over, and very, very little sleep. (Yes, all in the same night. I almost died. -_-)**

**I apologize for making you wait, but hopefully this will make up for it.**

**Thank you again to my awesomely epically-amazing reviewers. 43 reviews to date. I wish I could hug every one of you. ^_^ But since I can't, I guess I'll just have to let you steal a hug from your favorite transformer. Don't worry about them running. They know the consequences if they try. *evil grin*  
**

**Please enjoy and review!**

* * *

"So, where do you want to talk?" Prowl asked. He had transformed into his sleek motorcycle alt mode and his holoform was waiting next to him. He appeared to be a few years older than Artemis. He stood about 6'1" and had medium jet black hair and sunglasses concealing his eyes, despite it being late at night, and wore black jeans and shoes, with a long sleeve black turtleneck that had gold streaks around the arms and stomach.

Artemis glowered at him, arms crossed, while taking in his holoform choice. "You sure like the color black, don't you?" she asked, a tone of sarcasm in her voice.

"Yes. I tend to stay in the shadows so I feel more comfortable with this choice. So where are we going?"

Artemis could see he wasn't to be distracted and looked away. "I don't even want to talk. I want to run. I _should_ just run away. I don't want to be around any of you!"

"But you haven't run yet," Prowl observed, his holoform leaning against a tree. "And I'm hardly forcing you to stay right now. So that leads me to believe you not only want to talk about it, but you also want to talk about it with one of us." Artemis scowled at his logic. And the fact that he was right. "I think you ran from Ironhide to see if anyone cared enough to follow. He would've come after you, you know. But you nicked one of his main energon lines."

"Yeah? So why did you come after me instead? Did he send you as a messenger or something?" Artemis scoffed.

"No. Believe it or not, Ironhide isn't the only mech that cares about you."

Artemis was silent for a while, contemplating Prowl's words. Then, without a sound, she walked towards Prowl and his holoform. He took the hint that she was ready to leave and situated his holoform to give the illusion of driving, though in reality it wasn't necessary. Artemis climbed on behind him, lightly wrapping her arms around his middle to steady herself. "We're going to my apartment."

* * *

An hour later, Prowl pulled into a small, quiet, tree-lined neighborhood. He stopped at the third apartment building and Artemis walked to the side door, pulling a key out of her pocket. His holoform followed her inside. Her apartment was small but not too cramped, with a kitchen/living room, bedroom, and a bathroom.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you keep paying for this place even though you don't live here anymore?" Prowl asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"I don't know…I guess its because even though I don't really live here, its still home to me. Plus its not like I can't afford it," Artemis replied, sitting down on her couch.

"How? I don't believe you have a source of income, do you?"

Artemis smiled without humor. "Because I'm rich. Filthy rich, actually. When almost every living relative I had died, all their money and assets came flying to me." She lowered her head, finally at her breaking point. Over a year of stress and worries and emotions came pouring out. "I was a normal kid before all that. I had…_friends_. I went to school, got good grades, was never a trouble maker, and managed to keep myself out of bad situations. But then that day happened…everything changed. I got waves upon waves of sympathy from everyone, including people I never knew. I hated it so much…And I got people picking on me and talking behind my back. I got into fights and was suspended from school once, but it would've been more if my principal didn't take pity on my situation. My grades dropped so bad I almost didn't graduate. My weekends were spent flying across the country to settle financial dealings instead of hanging out with my friends. Most of them drifted away. A few of them tried to keep with me, but in the end…I pushed them from me too." Artemis looked up, tears falling from her eyes. "I became a totally different person. I kept to myself and shut everyone else out. I was just so depressed…seeing if anyone cared enough to break down the walls I put around me, and when no one did, I gave up on just about everything. But then…I met Optimus and the others. I found a reason to be happy again. I found so much in them that I wanted for so long. I was cared about."

Prowl sat next to her, gently pulling her into a hug. "You still _are_ cared about. You didn't hear the rest of our conversation. We didn't mean that you were some sort of freak, or that you were a danger to us. We're afraid that we are a danger to _you_. You were already almost killed because of us. No mech wants that to happen again."

Artemis wrapped her arms around Prowl's neck, crying into his shoulder as he continued. "Ironhide was going to get you to let you know that we were concerned. That's when we noticed you were gone. Everyone, and I mean _everyone_, was worried sick about you. The news hit us all like a cannon blast to the Spark…because we care about you, Artemis. You're like family to us."

Prowl sat on the couch, hugging Artemis to him for a few minutes while she cried. Finally, she said, "I can't believe what I did. I should've known better…I was just so insecure about being wanted and cared for, so I morphed what I heard into my worst fear. And Ironhide…I…I can't even think about that. It hurts too much! I must have destroyed him. How can I make up for that?" She looked up at Prowl helplessly. "I can't take back those words. And apologizing won't do anything. What can I do?"

"Explain to him what you told me. I'm sure he'll come around sometime. He still does care about you, he's just hurt," Prowl smiled sadly. "That's about all you can do."

"I guess…" Artemis sat up, hugging her knees to her chest, then wincing as a sharp pain shot its way up her right arm.

"Are you okay?" Prowl asked her, concerned.

"I think I broke my wrist," she answered, gently holding her swollen right hand. "Must've happened when I fell, and I just didn't realize how much it was actually hurting until now."

"Let me see," Prowl said, leaning towards her. "I might not be a medic, but all Cyber Ninjas learn basic first aid…Ah, yes, that's broken. If your internal structure is anything like mine, then we'll need to splint it for now."

Artemis nodded while Prowl got up to gather a few supplies. He grabbed two rulers, a roll of gauze, and duct tape before returning. "You have to be able to improvise," he said, smiling at Artemis's bemused look. He then gently but firmly wrapped her wrist up.

"Thanks," Artemis said, looking up at him, "That feels much better."

"You're welcome."

Then a thought struck Artemis, so she asked, "Why are you still wearing your sunglasses? You're inside."

Prowl looked down and, after a silent battle with himself, slowly pulled off his glasses before shyly looking up again. Artemis gasped. His eyes were a deep, pure gold.

'That's why," he replied. "I have a visor covering my optics because they're gold. And the one thing a transformer can't choose about their holoform is their eye color. No one knows I have these. Not even Optimus."

"What's so bad about gold eyes?"

Prowl looked away. "There are myths and legends about a mech born with golden optics. Going even further, there is a prophesy that includes a golden optic Cybertronian:

'_The mech of optics gold unites the worlds of young and old, when joining with the last Star, from a world both near and far. This son of Primus will lead to the Evil's great defeat, if the Light is guarded close by the ones that care the most. These Guardians of Life can only win the fight, if the Doubter gains control and gets the confidence of old. New allies will be made before that fateful day, and will fight side by side with the Guardians of Life. One Innocent yet brave, whose death will spear the way, will bring forth the Healer great who alone can reverse fate. One mech will return thrice from a world of blinding white, when the Star cries tears of pain that the Healer will regain. The son of Primus will save his leader from the grave, though the Light will risk its end from the selfless act it lends. But if the Light and Star should die, then the son of Primus will not try, and Evil will reign all in the Universal fall.'_"

"That's…confusing, to say the least," Artemis commented when Prowl finished reciting the legend.

"Heh," Prowl laughed humorlessly. "I'm so afraid everyone will think I'm this 'Son of Primus' or something that will bring the end to this war. The Autobots would immediately rally behind me, and the Decepticons would think I'm the one who could be their downfall and panic, destroying everything without a second thought. But I'm not special in any way. I'm just a normal mech that happens to have golden optics."

Artemis nodded. "I can see why you wouldn't want anyone to know. So why did you tell me?"

"Because I trust you," he replied simply. "And I know you wouldn't jump to conclusions because you weren't raised with that prophesy being told to you over and over."

Artemis blushed slightly from the compliment then said, "I think we should go back now. I'm sure the others are worried about me."

Prowl agreed, and activated his com link, as Artemis was still too afraid to talk to them herself. "Optimus, it's Prowl. Artemis and I are on our way back. ETA of about an hour."

An audible sigh of relief was heard on the other end. "See you soon, then."

* * *

Prowl and Artemis had been traveling for about thirty minutes when they noticed flashing lights behind them, followed by a police siren.

"Oh, shit, how am I going to explain a metal arm?!?" Artemis cursed softly.

Prowl pulled over and "turned off" his engine while his holoform and Artemis stepped off the motorcycle with their hands up. The policeman stepped out of his cruiser and approached the pair.

"Can I see your license and registration please?"

Prowl obeyed, pulling out a wallet that carried his "ID" and "Insurance Card."

"Is your arm made of…metal?" the policeman asked Artemis, confused, after reviewing the information.

"Um, yes, it's…it's a new kind of prosthetic-"

"Your name, please?"

"Artemis R-"

"Artemis, don't!" Prowl yelled suddenly. He let his holoform disappear.

"Prowl?!? What the hell are you doing?" She yelled, watching him transform into his robot mode.

"Get behind me!" he shouted, pushing Artemis behind his legs.

"But why?! This is insane! He's just a…" The rest of her sentence died in her throat. "Oh _shit_."

The policeman had disappeared into thin air, and the police cruiser had transformed.

"Hand over the girl, Autobot, and I may spare your life," Barricade threatened menacingly.

"Not even if you ripped me limb from limb," Prowl retorted, making sure Artemis was safely behind him.

Barricade's optics narrowed. "That can be arranged." He suddenly launched at Prowl, tackling him to the ground.

"_Prowl_!" Artemis screamed, watching the two mechs grapple with each other.

"_Okay, calm down some, Artemis. Think. We need help. The…the distress signal!"_ Artemis immediately pulled out her com link and was just about to press the button when she was knocked off her feet. The force of the blast that pushed her over caused the communicator to shatter when it hit the ground, becoming useless.

"No!"

* * *

The main room was full of Autobots either sitting, standing, or pacing out of nerves. Optimus checked his internal timing system. "They should arrive in about twenty minutes," he said to aloud, though every mech already knew, before settling back into his chair uncomfortably. Something didn't feel right to him. Optimus wasn't sure if it was Ironhide, who was still sitting in the forest alone after refusing to budge an inch, or if it was something else entirely. Either way, the commander was slightly more on edge than usual.

Then Prowl contacted him through the com link. The transmission was full of static.

"Optimus! ---need help! Barricade---attacking. Going---get Artemis---Can't fight---longer!" Then the line went dead.

The room was silent for a few astroseconds before Red Alert jumped in. "I got a location on his signal. Seventeen miles northeast."

Optimus nodded curtly and every Autobot stood at attention, ready to mobilize. "Ratchet, Jazz, Jolt, Red Alert, Bumblebee! Let's roll out! Perceptor, have Wheeljack and Jetfire help you prepare the medbay. I have a feeling we're going to need it."

"What about Ironhide?" Jazz asked.

Optimus sighed. "Go to him and tell him about the situation. Then Its his choice what to do next."

* * *

Optimus and the others rolled to a stop on an empty road. Empty except for the military vehicles and personnel swarming the area.

Optimus transformed, walking up to the man facing them. "Major Lennox," he greeted solemnly. "It is a surprise to see you here with your team."

"It's a surprise for us too, actually. The only reason we came was because one of our Blackhawks passed over the fight," he replied, looking over towards where Prowl was lying. "We came as fast as we could."

Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Jolt were kneeling next to Prowl, who was offline but still alive. True to his word, Barricade had ripped him limb from limb, but left him stable enough to survive. Bumblebee was helping Ratchet furiously clamp energon and fluid lines while Jolt gently pulsed Prowl's Spark with energy through his energon whips.

"He put up a great fight. That Decepticon was having a lot of trouble with him," Lennox said.

"Did you see a human girl around here at all?" Optimus asked suddenly.

Lennox didn't answer right away. "She was kidnapped. We pulled up and managed to get a few rounds in that 'Con, but then he reached down in the rubble and grabbed a girl. We didn't know she was there until it was too late. He took off with her, and no one wanted to shoot at him in case we hit the girl."

"Artemis…"

"Who's going to tell Ironhide?" Red Alert asked sadly.

"Who's going to tell me what?"

Everyone turned to see a black Topkick and a silver Solstice roll to a stop and transform. "Jazz told me everything he knew. How are Prowl and Artemis?"

"Prowl is hurt badly but will be okay," Optimus answered him.

"And Artemis?"

Everyone, mech and human, averted his gaze.

"I'm sorry Ironhide. We couldn't stop him. She was kidnapped," Lennox said finally, still avoiding Ironhide's optics.

Dead silence hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. No one dared to look at the Weapons Specialist, afraid of what his reaction might be. But he just stood there, unmoving, trying to process what he just heard. Meanwhile, another one of Lennox's team stepped forward.

"We need to find her," Epps said. "Do you have any way to locate energy sources?"

"Yes, but the Decepticons will have theirs cloaked around their base. I could be staring one in the face and his signal wouldn't show," Ratchet replied.

"Searching for a single human energy signature would be futile. There's way too many to pinpoint a single one, and that's only if she's not cloaked as well," Red Alert added.

"What if you searched for both at the same time?" Jazz asked, an idea forming in his processor. "She has Cybertronian technology that would give off a signal, plus a human signal. We could search both at the same time."

"That could work," Ratchet said slowly. "Searching for both signals at once would mean combining them together, which would mean searching for a different signal than just her human energy signature. Its quite possible, if she does have a different signature besides her human one, that the Decepticon cloaking wouldn't cover it."

"We need to get back to base and have Perceptor work on a device that could pick up such a signal. Autobots, roll out!" Optimus said, transforming. "Major Lennox, you and your team are welcome to join us."

"We've beat them once, we can beat 'em again!" he replied, a fierce gleam in his eyes. "Okay men! Gather everything up and follow that truck!"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that "prophesy" thing I came up with...it literally took me two hours to get the final draft of it finished. I just had to get it perfect!!**

**Other than that, I guess I wanted to add my favorite humans into the story somehow, so this is how it will be :P Yay, humans! ^_^**

**Oh! Idea! If you review today, I will personally get to work on a Transformers oneshot of your choice! That's right! I'll write you whatever Transformers oneshot you want! But only if you review TODAY! (7/30/09) Just PM me what you'd like it to be about, who's in it, and if its funny, serious, etc. But you must review today!  
**

**(I love bribes!!!!)  
**


	10. Devious

**Ouch. Its been a long time since I've updated, hasn't it? Sorry to keep you all waiting. But here is Chapter 10 ^_^ My psychic powers told me I'd finally update today. And the powers never lie. (Somewhat of an inside joke. :P)  
**

**The third section was spawned from a conversation I had with Kibble Beast. I couldn't resist adding it into the story.**

**Oh. That reminds me. Have you read Kibble Beast's story "The Edge of Reason?" ...No? Then what on Cybertron are you waiting for?!?! Go read it! Now! Before you read this chapter!!! And review its epic awesomeness!  
**

**Now, since you've read her ingenious story, (because you DID read it, right?), please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Artemis glared at the Seeker through the cage she was thrown in. "So I'm still stuck with you?" she asked Starscream, folding her arms across her chest.

Starscream shot her an equally contempt glare and turned around.

"Psh. Nice manners you have. You'd think after three days, you'd be a little friendlier."

The Seeker still ignored her.

"No wonder the other Decepticons had you guard me. Probably wanted you out of the way."

Starscream tensed at the comment but didn't turn around.

"Not like you could do much else but mindless tasks such as watching a pathetic little human anyway."

At this, Starscream snapped and spun, charging his cannon.

"Say that one more time, fleshling. I dare you."

"Aww, did I hit a nerve there, Screamy?" Artemis mocked, standing up. "You'll get over it."

Starscream slammed her cage into the wall, knocking her over. He then pressed his cannon to it so he could blow it and the annoying fleshy organic inside to smithereens.

Artemis just yawned and sat back up. "You don't want to do that."

Starscream's optics narrowed. "Oh, I think I do, fleshling."

"Well, if you're longing for a slow and painful death by Megatron, then yeah, I guess you do."

Starscream didn't answer her. She was right, though. Megatron warned him that she needed to be kept alive, or the Autobots wouldn't attempt to invade their base to retrieve her, therefore entering a trap that was being set for them. And if she should somehow die, Megatron promised to make the last few moments of his dramatically shortened life a living Pit. Slag it.

"I hate you," he growled, shutting his cannon off.

"Good. The feeling's mutual then," Artemis said lazily.

Starscream was cursing his luck. "Of all the fleshlings on this pathetic planet, I get stuck with this one." He threw something against the wall in his frustration. "Why can't you be scared of me like everyone else? Why can't you cower in fear every time I threaten to hurt you? WHY?"

Artemis smirked. Her plan was working. On the inside, she was indeed scared out of her mind. She was battered and bruised and starving from three days with no food, trapped by the enemy, and no real means of escape. Artemis was practically screaming in terror inside her head. But she wouldn't let that fear show. Instead, she built up every last bit of her courage and annoyed the gigantic evil alien robot because she heard Megatron order her to be kept alive. Now, if she could just drive the Decepticon crazy enough, her plan could work.

* * *

Ratchet was finishing up repairs on Prowl for the second time within a week. Anyone could tell how stressed the CMO was…he didn't complain once since Prowl was brought in, not even when Sunstreaker and Sideswipe arrived to Earth. Not that they really bothered Ratchet in the first place; they could tell something was wrong the moment they landed. The entire mood of the base was somber and subdued.

Optimus slowly opened the medbay doors. "How's Prowl?" he asked.

"He'll survive, at least. He's terribly weak at the moment, but with enough rest and energon he should be back to his old self soon enough," Ratchet replied tiredly.

Optimus was grateful for the news. "And how are you doing?"

"Tired, but functional." he sighed, making his exhaustion even more apparent. "This past year has been the toughest."

Optimus shuttered his optics. "This year's been hard for everyone." Then he looked to his CMO and added, "You're a great medic, Ratchet. We couldn't survive without you."

The CMO took the compliment with a small smile. "I'm just doing my job."

The commander returned the smile before leaving Ratchet to his work. He turned down the hallway towards the science laboratory.

"Perceptor, how are you doing?" Optimus asked, walking into the lab.

"The locator is almost finished. But we won't have any idea if it works unless we can test it," he replied, not looking up from his work.

Optimus nodded, understanding. "Where's Jetfire and Wheeljack?"

Perceptor set down his instruments and looked at his commander, a ghost of a smile twitching at his lips. "I had Jetfire distract Wheeljack for me. His Spark is in the right place, but in a situation this urgent I needed to work on this one alone…_without_ any explosions."

Optimus would have laughed loudly at this statement had the situation been any less serious, but instead he only let out a small chuckle.

"There," Perceptor said finally. "Finished."

"We really need to find a way to test it first."

"I suppose if a human volunteer allowed us to implant some Cybertronian technology into them, they would give off the same energy signal as Artemis," the scientist mused.

Almost if on cue, Major Lennox appeared in the doorway. "Hey, I heard you need a volunteer to track?" he mentioned, walking into the lab. "Because I'm ready to help out if you need me."

Optimus looked at the human intently. "Are you sure you're up to this? The technology we implant in you will be permanent. And we don't know for sure what kind of side effects it will have."

"Absolutely. If Artemis can affect all of you so much, then she's definitely worth it. I'll do anything I can to get her back." he paused for a moment, looking up to Optimus. "I can tell by the look on your face she's like a daughter to you. I don't know what I'd feel like if I ever lost Annabelle, but I know I'd do anything and everything in my power to make sure she comes back safely."

Optimus smiled gratefully towards the Major's empathy. "Thank you," he said, holding a hand out for him to climb on. Major Lennox was then lifted up to a desk, where Perceptor was carefully preparing a small microchip.

"This chip will enhance your human senses slightly, and link you to our main computer system, where we can monitor your vitals from anywhere on this planet," Perceptor said, delicately holding a "small" needle between his forefinger and thumb. "This is something I've had for a while now. Its rather obsolete by Cybertronian terms, but I've held onto it just in case."

Lennox only nodded, eyeing the rather large needle determinedly.

Perceptor positioned the needle at the base of the Major's neck. "This will burn for the first few seconds, followed by a tingling sensation for about ten minutes. After that, the chip will have completely integrated with your body," the scientist informed him before injecting the microchip.

Lennox only flinched slightly as the chip was inserted beneath his skin. He immediately felt the burning, followed by the tingling sensation.

"Perceptor," Jetfire yelled from across the hall. "Wheeljack has something he wants to share with you."

"I'd better go check that out," Perceptor said, keeping a straight face. "I'll be back in ten minutes to test the signal tracking device."

* * *

"WHAT did I tell you, Starscream? I told you not to damage her!" Megatron seethed, glaring at his second in command. "These pathetic fleshlings are fragile, and the slightest amount of damage could kill her! And if she dies, the Autobots won't come barging into our base to get her, and won't fall into our trap! Making my endless planning useless!"

"B-but Lord Megatron! I didn't do anything-"

"You slammed her across the room! You're lucky she's still alive, imbecile," he growled, pointing to Artemis, who was curled up into a ball in apparent pain.

"But she was fine just a minute ago-"

Starscream's explanation was cut off by a swift punch to his face.

"I don't care, you idiot. Pull one more stunt like that again, and you're last moments will be the punishment of the millennium."

The Seeker stumbled backwards and fell, wincing at the pain. Artemis peered at Starscream, sprawled across the floor, and gave him an impish wink from behind Megatron's back.

"Lord Megatron! She's fine! Look! She just winked at me!" Starscream almost pleaded, pointing to Artemis accusingly.

Megatron narrowed his optics and turned to her. Artemis resumed her "in severe pain" act, curling up into a tight ball and whimpering softly. He studied the girl a few moments longer before turning to Starscream again, who was just standing back up.

"Interesting insight," Megatron said softly, eyeing his second in command.

Starscream looked relieved. "See? I was right-"

"Except you're wrong!" Megatron bellowed, grabbing the Seeker by his wings and throwing him across the room. He crashed into several shelves that collapsed around him.

"Don't fail me again, Starscream," Megatron finished, walking from the room.

Artemis couldn't help but chuckle. Her plan was working wonderfully. If things kept going this well, she could be back at the Autobot base long before they would come to get her.

Starscream, on the other hand, looked like he was about to go insane. He couldn't attack the girl. And he couldn't take out his frustration on his surroundings, or Megatron would accuse him of trying to attack the girl. He couldn't win.

Unless he somehow found a way to get away from the annoying fleshling…

He was jolted from his scheming by Artemis.

"Oh, that was wonderful!" she said, leaning against the bars of her cage. "I think my performance was award winning, don't you think?" She smirked at the death glare Starscream shot at her. "The whole 'pain' thing worked out perfectly too, since I really am injured, and Megatron's basic scanners picked it up. It's a good thing he doesn't know much about us fleshlings, besides the fact we die easily. Totally played into my plan."

"And where exactly are you going with this plan of yours?" Starscream asked through gritted teeth.

"Aw, you'll see soon enough Screamy," She smiled innocently. "Or maybe I just want to annoy the slag out of you."

Artemis took no small satisfaction when she heard the Seeker grumble quietly, "And its working horribly well."

* * *

The Autobots and humans gathered in the lab room, anxiously waiting to see if Perceptor's invention worked. Major Lennox sat on the edge of the desk, nervously kicking his feet. His senses were indeed much stronger and sharper than before. His hearing could pick up the whispers across the room like they were being said right next to him. He could feel minute vibrations all around him that he couldn't before. Everything was so intense…it was a little overwhelming for the soldier, but he didn't regret it at all.

"Okay…let's turn it on," Ratchet said, pressing a button on the device. It immediately started humming.

"Well? Does it work?" Jolt asked, looking from Lennox to Perceptor and Ratchet.

The two mechs working by the machine stared at the screen for a moment, then looked across the room at Lennox, and back to the screen again.

Finally, Ratchet and Perceptor looked up, unable to keep the smiles from their faces.

"It works."

Cheers erupted from the lab room from mech and human alike. They had a way to locate Artemis…even Ironhide, who had been unusually quiet the past three days, couldn't keep from feeling relieved.

"What's the plan, Optimus?" Jazz asked, walking up to the Prime.

"First, we need to set the range on the signal finder to find Artemis. Once we find her, we must proceed with caution. If she is indeed at the Decepticon base, they are no doubt setting a trap for us."

"They are sure to know that we'll come after her," Red Alert said, nodding. "And no matter how hard we try to stay out of their traps, we're sure to walk straight into the middle of one to save Artemis."

Optimus looked around the room. All faces were fixed on him, waiting for his orders to roll out. "This mission will be one of the most dangerous we've ever encountered. I can't guarantee that everyone will come back alive…I understand completely if anyone wants to stay behind, and no judgment will be placed upon you. But I for one will go for Artemis, even if it means facing certain death."

"What, you think we'll let you barge into the Decepticon base alone? You're out of your processor. I'm in," Jazz replied, stepping next to the commander.

"Us too," Sunstreaker said, taking his place next to Optimus with Sideswipe.

"Sunny and I can tell how important she is. We can't stay behind just because we haven't met her," Sideswipe added.

"You'll need a medic to save your afts during the battle. Primus knows you'll need me," Ratchet said, standing next to Jazz.

"And you'll need someone to operate the machine to find Artemis," Perceptor added.

"You won't have a chance of entering their base without someone counteracting their security systems," Red Alert stated, also walking over to Optimus.

"I can assist Ratchet and Perceptor if anything goes wrong. You need my backup," Jetfire said, standing next to Sideswipe.

"We may not be as strong as you, but we're just as willing to fight," Major Lennox said, taking his place with his team.

"We know how to fight them now. We have an upper hand we didn't have the first time," sergeant Epps added.

"We're also ready to fight," Bumblebee said, following Jolt over to the group.

"Wait. Who will watch Prowl? He's in no condition to fight," Ratchet asked.

"I can stay behind," Wheeljack replied. "I can help monitor everyone from here and let you know who may need help."

Everyone turned to look at the last mech on the other side of the room: Ironhide. He hadn't said a word, nor made a move to join the others.

"Ironhide. I understand if you don't want to come-"

"No," he said abruptly, clenching his fists. "I promised to always protect her." He shuttered his optics, thinking hard. "I have to go for her, even if she hates me."

Optimus nodded once in acknowledgement. "Just take care of yourself out there, old friend," he said quietly. He then turned to face his group of soldiers. "Autobots, Major Lennox," he nodded. "It has been an honor fighting with you all. Your courage and determination is something I cannot thank you enough for." Optimus paused, gathering himself before giving the command that would almost certainly send someone to their death.

"Autobots, roll out!"

* * *

**Oooh, is that foreshadowing I see? You'll have to wait and find out. *impish grin***

**Yes. I just had to have Megs abuse Screamer. It was too fun to pass up.**

**Okay, but now I have a question to pose to you all. Where the story currently is, I can end it in the next 3 or so chapters, or I can continue it for longer than that. I have ideas for both.**

**So, do you want me to get to the uberly awesome climax of the story? Or do you want me to keep writing this story for longer than that?**

**Let me know. I'll go with the majority decision here.**

***cough* Oh, and review please. I don't know what kind of incentive I can offer you this time, but please. Review. ^_^**


	11. Decepticons

**Two things.**

//This is now com speak.//

**That's easier to understand now.**

**And two...I apologize ahead of time.**

**Sad chapter.  
**

* * *

Megatron smirked as he watched the Autobots approach the base on the security screen.

"Such fools…blindly walking into my trap…they didn't lower their energy signatures enough for my new and improved security system!" he cackled evilly. "Decepticons," he shouted, turning towards the great room. "Get to your places. The Autobots are nearly here!"

* * *

//Team One, are you ready?// the commander asked through his com link.

//Yes Optimus,// Red Alert answered. //Perceptor and I are all set up to counteract the Decepticons' defense system and find Artemis's location.//

Optimus turned towards his team. "Team Two, are you ready?"

"We're ready to go," came Ironhide's reply. "Ratchet, Bumblebee, Jolt, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Jetfire, and I are ready to kick some Decepticon aft! Lennox's team is ready as well."

"Good, good," Optimus nodded. "Remember everyone, be careful. We are sorely outnumbered by the Decepticons, and must keep our guards up!"

He then commed Jazz. //Even though they're expecting us all from the east side, there could still be some Decepticons on the west side. Keep your optics open! Artemis _must_ be found as soon as possible. We can't leave until she is safe with us.//

Jazz nodded to himself, determined to successfully complete his mission. //I'll find her, Optimus. I promise.//

Optimus peered down at the Decepticon base through the forest. It sat in a small valley clearing far from any civilization. Optimus could detect movement near him, while almost nothing where Jazz was hiding. They kept their energy signatures just high enough to fool the Decepticons, while Jazz hid his completely to keep his presence a secret, with the help of Red Alert lowering detection levels of the Decepticon defense system ever so slightly. Red Alert and Perceptor were towards the north side, hidden behind a rocky outcrop with a good view of the base below. Team Two was positioned to the east side, just beyond the entrance to the enemy's base.

Now, all that was left was for Red Alert to signal the rest of the defense system to be crippled.

* * *

Starscream was livid.

"What do you mean I have to stay here?!?"

Megatron glared down at his second in command. "They _came_ for her. They will be trying to _get_ to her. So she must be watched _at all times_! If they somehow manage to rescue her right away, they'll immediately leave, which would mean less of them get killed!"

"But-"

"No arguing with me, Starscream! You will stay here and watch this fleshling, and destroy anything that tries to come through this door," Megatron commanded, leaving.

The Seeker grumbled and settled into a chair, crossing his arms. "Not like any of them will actually _get_ this far…" he said to himself.

Artemis sat silently, contemplating. The Autobots came for her sooner than she expected, so she had to slightly tweak her plan. But things could still work out.

* * *

Jazz could hear the battle taking place across from him. He was worried about his comrades fighting so many Decepticons…about a three to one ratio of them…but quickly put that to the back of his processor. He had a job to do, and he knew the others were tough enough to hold out a while.

Jazz stealthily made his way down the hillside and past the now-deactivated security systems. He quickly found an entrance, slipped inside, and allowed his energy signature to rise slightly, once again avoiding detection because of Red Alert's work.

"I really gotta thank him for this," Jazz said to himself, breezing through the hallway. //Perceptor,// he commed. //Where's Artemis?//

//About seven hundred yards east, four hundred yards north of you,// came the reply.

//Alright, thanks!//

Jazz continued through a maze of halls and tunnels, mentally noting how far east and north he was traveling, and completely hid his energy signature again. As he was nearing Artemis's supposed location, he picked up a Decepticon energy signature.

//There is indeed a Decepticon in that same room,// came Red Alert's reply when Jazz inquired. //I don't know who it is, but you must be careful. Red Alert out.//

Jazz nodded to himself and shut off his com link. He had to be stealthy. He had to be completely silent. He had to be--

_CRASH_.

Jazz barely contained his cursing. He was so intent on getting to the door in front of him, he didn't notice the pile of scrap metal he so gracefully smashed into.

Now, what to do when that Decepticon came out to investigate…

* * *

"What was that?!?" Starscream asked, startled. He was just about to enter a deep recharge cycle when a loud crashing noise abruptly brought him out of it.

Artemis cursed whatever made the noise. She was waiting on Starscream to get bored enough to recharge, then making her escape while he slept. Now, that would be impossible. Unless…whatever it was out in the hallway occupied him long enough…

This looked like it needed a little prompting.

"Hey, Screamer. Aren't you going to check that out?"

"Shut up, human! Don't tell me what to do!"

"I was just saying…I mean, what if that crash was an Autobot coming to get me?"

The Seeker rolled his optics. "No Autobot could get past our defense systems without detection! And even then they'd need to get past _Megatron_ first…" he pouted once more, wanting to be allowed in the fight.

"Oookay…" Artemis said, shrugging. "But what if there was that small chance, that insignificantly tiny chance I'm right? What will you do if there is an Autobot out there, and you let him gallivant around your base unwatched? What would Megatron do to you then?"

"I said--" Starscream paused, thinking. He _would_ be thrashed horribly if there was indeed an Autobot creeping around the base. Maybe he _should_ check that out, just in case.

"Stay there, fleshling!"

Artemis sighed. "Seriously, like there's anywhere else I could go?"

Starscream exited the room charging up his cannon. The second he was out of sight, Artemis went to work on the metal bars keeping her captive. She figured if she could narrow her cannon blast into a concentrated beam of energy, she could cut through the metal bar halfway easily.

Artemis was almost completely out when she heard someone approaching again. She froze in fear, hanging out of her now-useless cage. She knew that not even Megatron would "forgive" her for escaping…not that she was needed much longer anyway. Artemis braced herself for the end, tightly shutting her eyes to avoid looking at her impending doom.

But instead of a cannon blast, she heard a whisper…"…Artemis? Are you in here?"

Her eyes shot open. "_Jazz_?"

"Artemis!" Jazz reached her in a matter of astroseconds. "You're okay!" He held out his hand for her to climb on. "We've been so worried about you!"

Artemis hugged Jazz as best she could, holding back tears of happiness. "I'm so glad to see you, Jazz!"

"We need to get back everyone else to let them know we can leave. They're taking on the 'Cons as we speak."

"Woah, what?" Artemis asked, surprised. "You _all_ came, and they're taking on the Decepticons in their own base?!? Are you out of your minds? You could all be killed!"

"So could you," Jazz said seriously, looking Artemis in the eye.

"But I'm just--"

"A part of our family. No one made us come, Artemis. We all volunteered to save you. Even Ironhide," Jazz mentioned, reading her mind.

"I-Ironhide's here?"

"Yeah. Fighting alongside the others, making sure you'll have a safe escape."

Artemis was speechless, but Jazz quickly changed the subject.

"Speaking of escape, we have to get going! There'll be time for reunions later."

Jazz carefully held Artemis in his hands and darted out the door, staying to the shadows. "I don't know if I can get past Starscream undetected again…"

"Yeah, how'd you do that the first time?" Artemis whispered.

Jazz nodded towards the ceiling. "Magnets really come in handy, ya know?"

"Here he comes!"

Jazz leapt behind a large cabinet, pressing himself flat against the wall as Starscream walked past, muttering angrily about stupid noises and annoying fleshlings.

"We don't have much time once he reaches that door," Artemis whispered.

"Then we'll--"

"ARRGGGGGHHH!!!"

"--_RUN_!"

Jazz cupped Artemis in his hands and took off running, not bothering to find the way he came in. He was narrowly dodging the angry cannon blasts from Starscream, who was chasing after the two swiftly.

"Hurry, Jazz!" Artemis yelled.

"Alright, hold on!"

Jazz smoothly transformed into his alt mode while placing Artemis in his interior at the same time. Then he floored it. The Autobot's second in command spotted a window, and crashed through it to the outside in a shower of broken glass.

"Optimus! I've got her!"

The leader briefly took note of Artemis with Jazz before fending off Megatron and Barricade. "Autobots!" he yelled, still struggling with the two mechs. "Fall back! Retreat!"

But it wasn't that easy. Every Autobot was fighting at least two Decepticons, and Jolt, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee were already having emergency repairs done by Ratchet.

Jazz set Artemis down by the medic and immediately dove into the fray, bravely pouncing upon Soundwave and dragging him off of Sunstreaker. The golden mech laid motionless, coils and tentacles twisting around his armor and internal circuitry. Jetfire rushed forward and pulled him back to the rest of the injured. Optimus had long since ordered Lennox's team to fall back and head for base for their safety, but not before they took out a few of the enemy for themselves.

It wasn't that the Autobots were weak, just sorely outnumbered. They were fighting valiantly, keeping the Decepticons from their injured and trying to fall back at the same time, but their attempt was slowly failing. Red Alert and Perceptor even entered the fight to help, but it was getting harder and harder to keep the Decepticon Army at bay.

Before they knew it, the Autobots were standing back to back with each other next to the injured, completely surrounded by the Decepticons. All fighting stopped.

"Oh, how I've waited for this day…" Megatron gloated, stepping forward. "The day the last Prime would be extinguished for good!"

The other Autobots instinctively inched closer to Optimus, unconsciously trying to protect him.

//Optimus, this is Wheeljack. Do you copy?// the scientist commed his commander.

//Copy, Wheeljack. Are the humans safe?//

//Yes, sir. Well on their way back home and no Decepticons following.//

Optimus allowed a small sigh of relief for their human allies. He didn't pay much attention to what Megatron was saying, but took note that as long as the Decepticon leader was talking, they would still be alive.

//Sir,// Wheeljack pressed on. //There's this new invention--//

//Not now, Wheeljack,// Optimus said, slightly annoyed the scientist couldn't wait until after the battle to share his new discovery. He needed to think of a plan to get out.

"I will crush you all, one by one, and you'll be the last I kill, Prime…" Megatron continued, completely blissful at the capture of his longtime enemies.

//But Optimus--//

//Wheeljack, unless you're invention can somehow bring us all safely out of this mess, I'm not really in the mood to hear about it!//

//But that's exactly what it does!// Wheeljack exclaimed. //At least, in theory. I haven't tested it yet.//

Optimus gaped for a moment, then regained his composure. He switched his com frequency to include all Autobots. //What does this invention do?//

//It latches on to any Autobot's energy signature within a certain area, and transports them back to base, from wherever they are on the planet, instantly! I came up with it when Perceptor was making the other locator for Artemis.//

"…And then I will become supreme ruler of the universe!" Megatron pushed on.

//Is there any way you can test it first? I'm still very uneasy about using it blindly.//

//Let him test it on me, Optimus,// came Prowl's reply.

//Prowl? You're too weak! There's no way I'll let you--//

//With all due respect, Ratchet, its either let me test this device, or use it on all of you without knowing if it works. I'm willing to sacrifice myself.//

//I don't like this Prowl…but okay. And hurry, you two. We don't have much time left here!// Optimus said, sighing.

Megatron was oblivious to the hushed whispers the Autobots were exchanging. He was too into the moment to notice anything but their worried looks and scared optics.

What seemed like an eternity later, Wheeljack spoke again. //Optimus, it works! And Prowl is alright, exhausted and weak, but alright!//

//Then get us out of here!//

//Sure thing…but there's one small problem.//

//What kind of problem, 'Jack?// Ironhide asked, impatient.

//With the current settings, Artemis wouldn't come with you.// he replied.

//What? Why not?//

//She had a different energy signature. I haven't had time to add hers into the machine, and adding it will take several more minutes to do.//

//You're sure she won't come back with us?// Optimus almost pleaded. Their one chance of escape was quickly fading away.

//He's right, Optimus. She wouldn't return with us,// Perceptor replied.

//We can't leave her. Its why we came in the first place. We'll find some other way out,// Optimus stated.

"Any last words, Autobots, before you're painfully blasted to oblivion?" Megatron cackled, savoring the moment.

Every Autobot left standing stood proud, silently staring down the enemy. They all knew this was the end.

Artemis had been listening in on the conversation the entire time, and was upset that they gave up their only chance of escape, just for her. Ironhide happened to look down and catch her eye, and an idea seemed to wordlessly form between them.

//'Jack,// Ironhide whispered, switching back to a private frequency. //As soon as Artemis and I are out of range, bring everyone else home!//

//Has Optimus approved this?//

//You know he would never allow it, but its our only chance. Let me escape with Artemis, bring the others back, then work on getting to us!//

//I don't know, I really don't...//

//If you don't do this, we'll_ all_ die!//

Ironhide heard static on the other end of the link as Wheeljack sighed. //Don't make me regret this, Ironhide.//

Ironhide then readied himself to break through the circle of Decepticons. He chose a spot between Ravage and Barricade. Then, he shot two quick cannon blasts towards the two mechs, scooped up Artemis, and dove out of the circle, all under two seconds. Optimus didn't even have time to speak before Wheeljack brought them back to base.

"What the…" Optimus asked aloud, disoriented from the sudden change of scenery. A few seconds later, everything clicked. It hit the other Autobots at the same time.

"IRONHIDE!" Optimus bellowed with such force the windows shattered around the base. He desperately hoped the Weapons Specialist could somehow hear him…that he was nearby. But he wasn't.

"I'm working on it as fast as I can, Optimus," Wheeljack answered the commander's silent question. Perceptor rushed over to help.

"Just…just hurry!"

* * *

Megatron's optics flashed with an uncontrollable rage.

"NOO!" he shouted, trying to comprehend what just happened. "How could they just disappear like that? Its impossible!"

"Lord Megatron, sir, there's still one Autobot here with the fleshling," Starscream spoke, hoping to curb that rage for the moment, as he would most likely be on the receiving end of it.

Megatron and the other Decepticons immediately set out after Ironhide. "If I can't kill them all, I'll at least kill one of them!"

* * *

Ironhide rushed through the forest with Artemis as fast his form would carry him. Which, for a mech of his bulk, was pretty fast. But not fast enough.

"You'll never escape us, Autobot!" Megatron yelled, rage almost exploding from his optics.

Ironhide only made himself run faster, ignoring the jeers and insults being thrown at him and dodging cannon blasts left and right.

Then he hit a dead end.

He and Artemis were surrounded. All of the Decepticons had their cannons poised and ready to strike. Ironhide had no way out…he was no match for so many of them. Trying would only make their deaths more painful.

"I won't make the same mistake of waiting twice, Autobot," Megatron sneered.

* * *

"Got it!" Wheeljack yelled…

* * *

Ironhide crouched down and covered Artemis with his body…

* * *

…And Wheeljack pressed the button to bring Ironhide and Artemis back.

* * *

…And the Decepticons fired.

* * *

A moment of complete and utter silence enveloped the Autobot base when Ironhide and Artemis returned. Jazz broke it.

"_IRONHIDE_!" he shouted, running over.

The Weapons Specialist was obviously hurt badly…it looked like he took several direct cannon blasts from point-blank range.

Ratchet immediately dove to his side, followed by Perceptor, Jetfire, and Wheeljack. The CMO was running scan after scan on the fallen mech with Perceptor, while Wheeljack and Jetfire were patching main energon lines faster than they ever thought was possible.

Artemis slowly crawled out from underneath Ironhide just as the medic and his team were carefully turning the unconscious mech to rest on his back. Jazz pulled her closer to him, sensing her distress, and tried to comfort her. But when he tried to speak, his vocal processors wouldn't work. He was too shocked to do anything.

Ratchet kept fighting that nagging feeling in the back of his processor. _"He's going to make it! The fragger is going to survive! I'm a _medic_, slag it! I've done this before!" _he kept telling himself, his hands a flurry of movement to save one of his oldest friends. But each passing second was proving the nagging feeling to be more and more truthful.

Ratchet abruptly stopped working. He knew something was terribly wrong. It felt like time had frozen. It couldn't be true. He was the old, tough, battle-worn warrior that could survive anything.

Anything…anything but this.

Ironhide was dead.

* * *

***sniffle* Yes. Ironhide is dead. Forever. He's not coming back. *hides* PLEASE DUN KILL MEH! DX**

**Yeah, I made Megatron a little dumber than he actually is. He's just excited about succeeding for once in his life, I guess.**

**And we'll pretend that no one was monitoring the defense system when Red Alert shut it down completely, okays?  
**

**I tried to make this chapter as clear as possible. If you don't understand anything, just ask and I will (attempt to) explain it to you. I _did_ finish this in the early hours of the morning, so maybe what made sense to me then won't make sense to the rest of the world.**

**But before you ask, I will not reconsider bringing Ironhide back from the dead. I'm sorry, guys. It's something I felt had to happen.  
**

**...And today I'll understand if you don't want to review because you all hate me for killing him. **


	12. Despair

**SURPRISE! I updated somewhat fast this time! :D I figured I wouldn't keep you all waiting after that last chapter, especially with so many of you upset that I "took Ironhide out of the story." But I didn't do that! He's _dead_, not erased from the storyline. Goodness, I couldn't do that to this story!**

**Another shout out to Kibble Beast, the awesomely talented writer that she is. I LOVE YOU TOO! *returns love across the Atlantic* :D And I definitely stole your idea towards the end of this chapter. I thought it would add a nice touch of humor to an otherwise serious chapter. Not quite the same as THRUSTING in resurRECTIONS of DOOM, but it still works xD**

**...I still command all of you to read and REVIEW The Edge of Reason if you haven't already. It's something you can't miss out on. Seriously. Like, your life will never be complete without reading it. :P Now we don't want that to happen, do we? Of course we don't.  
**

**Anyway, hope you all enjoy chapter 12!**

****Fixed the minor grammar mistakes (hopefully lol)**  
**

* * *

No one moved.

A suffocating silence descended upon the base. Finally Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Jetfire silently stood up and moved away, but Ratchet, Jazz, and Artemis remained on the floor next to Ironhide, still as statues.

The medic's processor was blank, except for one thought that kept repeating itself over and over in his head… _"You failed. You let him die. You failed. You killed him. You failed…"_

Ratchet couldn't bring himself to look at anyone. He failed them as a medic. He didn't work fast enough, he didn't work hard enough, he didn't…

"Ratchet," Optimus said, kneeling next to the CMO. "This isn't your fault--"

"Yes it is."

"No, its _not_. You can't expect to save everyone. No medic can prevent death forever."

"But--"

"No buts, Ratchet. I know this is hard on you. It's hard on everyone. But look," Optimus pointed to where Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Jolt, and Bumblebee were lying. "They need your help now. You need to go to them."

"I…I can't."

"Yes you can."

"No!" Ratchet cried, "You don't understand! I _can't_!"

"Yes. You. CAN," Optimus said strongly.

Ratchet leapt up and yelled, "No I can't! I failed! _Failed_! He's gone because I didn't do my job right! He's dead because I messed up! I killed him. I killed Ironhide. I--"

"Ratchet!"

"No! It's true! You know its true!"

"Its NOT true, Ratchet! Listen to me!" Optimus shouted over him, grabbing him by his shoulders.

"No, YOU listen to me!" Ratchet shouted back, violently struggling to get out of the commander's grip. "You should know what it FEELS like to lose someone because of you! Especially after you lost--"

_Smack._

Ratchet abruptly stopped his yelling and fighting, shocked at what just happened. Optimus had _slapped_ him. Optimus never slapped _anyone_. Ratchet _really_ crossed the line this time.

The commander looked just as shocked to have lost control. He blinked a few times, then stuttered, "R-Ratchet, I…"

"It's okay. I deserved it."

Optimus sighed, deciding to discuss that particular moment later. "They still need you."

Ratchet looked up to his commander, almost pleadingly. "I can't."

"Think of all the good you've done for us. It outweighs your faults by far."

The medic shifted uncomfortably under Optimus's piercing gaze. "Have Perceptor and the others help them."

"They can't do it without your guidance. They're scientists, not medics."

When Ratchet was still unsure of himself, Optimus said, "You know I don't like using my title, Ratchet. But if I have to order you to help them, then I will."

"No…you're right. I have to help them," Ratchet sighed. "I'm just afraid I'll mess up again."

"Look at it this way. Without you, they definitely won't make it. You can only give them a much greater chance by going to help them."

Ratchet nodded in defeat, and silently made his way over to the others. He was quickly followed by the scientists.

* * *

Hours later, Ratchet and the others managed to patch up every member of the team and sent them to the medbay for the night. That is, except for Jazz and Artemis, who hadn't moved an inch since Ironhide's death.

Jazz knelt at his brother's side with Artemis. Both were staring blankly at his body. The felt absolutely nothing. They were numb to the world around them.

Optimus had tried talking to the two, but after an hour of urging them to move, neither gave him any recognition. It was like they couldn't see him…Jazz's optics had dimmed and Artemis's eyes had glazed over.

The leader placed a hand on his second in command's shoulder and gently squeezed it before leaving with a sigh. It was hard enough for him to lose such a close friend…he couldn't imagine the pain Jazz and Artemis were going through. He shook his head sadly deciding to go check on the others and how they were coping with their loss.

Optimus paused for a moment in the hall. He against the wall for support, closing his optics and rubbing his brow. Lubricant leaked from the leader's closed optics as he mourned. Losing Ironhide hit him just as hard as it did everyone else, but Optimus had to be strong for the others, so he couldn't show his pain and how bad Ironhide's death affected him to the others. He knew they would look to him for strength and guidance during this hard time, and Optimus had to be able to give it to them. He pulled himself together and continued down the hallway.

He found everyone gathered in the medbay, talking quietly with their heads in their hands.

"If only I pressed the button sooner…just one astrosecond sooner, he would be here!" Wheeljack sighed, hanging his head.

"You did the best you could, 'Jack. We couldn't have asked for more out of you," Red Alert replied sadly, giving the scientist a gentle shake.

Everyone nodded in agreement. "You pulled off a miracle today, Wheeljack. The rest of us would have surely died today as well without your help," Optimus added, finally entering the room.

Wheeljack tried to smile back gratefully, but broke down again. Optimus noted Perceptor's somber silence and closed optics, and Red Alert's tired face. Ratchet busied himself with the four battle-injured mechs to keep his processor from dwelling on Ironhide, with Jetfire right behind him. Prowl isolated himself into a corner.

Their human allies had arrived back to base, and were hit with the loss of Ironhide as well. They were sitting among the other Autobots, talking with one another about what happened. Major Lennox was hit especially hard, as he had grown fond of the Weapons Specialist over the past few months.

Optimus looked up as Ratchet approached him. "How are Jazz and Artemis doing?"

"Haven't moved at all," Optimus replied, looking down and sighing. "It's like they've died with him, and left behind empty shells."

"I'm worried about them, Optimus. They don't have any physical wounds I'm worried about, but their heath is still deteriorating quickly, and I fear forcing them to move will only make things worse."

The commander watched as Major Lennox silently left the medbay. "Perhaps he will bring out some sign of life in them."

* * *

Lennox slowly approached Artemis, and silently knelt at her side. She made no move to show her acknowledgement of his presence, but he didn't expect her to. He just remained still as well, silently mourning Ironhide's death with the others for a moment.

Finally, the Major spoke. "He was a good mech, by anyone's standards. He _still_ is," he said, looking over to the girl. Artemis was still silent, but Lennox continued. "I heard how close you two were, and I'm sorry for everything you must be feeling right now." The Major noticed her lips quiver slightly as he spoke. He pressed on. "But I know for a fact that he wouldn't want you to waste away like you are. He cares about you so much, and it will hurt him to see you lose the will to live after he sacrificed himself for you."

At this, Artemis finally took her eyes off of Ironhide and looked down, shaking with barely contained grief.

"Its okay to cry. You don't have to prove anything."

Artemis's emotions burst out like a tidal wave, crying and sobbing hysterically as Lennox pulled her into a tight hug.

Optimus and Ratchet watched from the doorway. It was hard for them to see so much sadness and pain in the girl that used to be so full of joy, but at the same time they were glad to see her actually moving. Optimus also noted the slight changes in Jazz's intake levels and his increased Sparkbeat rate, meaning he too had listened to Major Lennox speak. Optimus walked over to Jazz once more and again talked to him. "You don't need to prove anything either, Jazz. Just because Ironhide is gone doesn't mean you have to be tough like him. You can let it out."

Jazz slowly turned his head to face his leader, tears leaking from his visor. "It's my fault."

"No, Jazz, it isn't. It's no one's fault but the Decepticons."

"But only if I--"

"Stop it right now, Jazz. Saying 'what if?' won't bring him back. It will only make dealing with his death harder."

Optimus felt a surge of empathy for his second in command as the silver mech broke down completely, and held Jazz in a fatherly embrace while he cried uncontrollably at the loss of his brother.

* * *

Ratchet returned to the medbay, satisfied that Jazz and Artemis would recover well enough with time. He then turned his attention to the only mech he hadn't checked up on: Prowl.

The black and gold Autobot was still sitting silently in his corner, brooding about something. As Ratchet approached, he noticed something about Prowl's optics. They seemed to be glowing much brighter than usual from under his visor, and they seemed to have a different color glow to them.

"Prowl?" Ratchet asked, stopping before the mech. Prowl jumped upon hearing Ratchet call his name….he was completely zoned out. "Are you okay, Prowl? Your optics are really bright, and they almost look as if they're a different color. Maybe you should let me take a look at them--"

"NO!" Prowl shouted, jumping up. "I…I mean, no thank you, Ratchet. I feel fine, and I'm sure my optics will return to normal."

Ratchet wasn't convinced. "Wheeljack," he shouted over his shoulder, "Are there any side effects to that machine of yours?"

Wheeljack walked over to Ratchet, scratching his head. "Well, I guess there could be before I refined it to bring you all back here. What kind of side effects are we talking about?…Oooh," he said, noticing Prowl's glowing visor. "Well…I don't know if that was caused by the machine or not. It's hard to tell with an unstable space-time adapter connected to only two nodules."

Perceptor's head snapped up. "What did you say?" he asked, optics wide. "Only _two_ nodules? And you didn't stabilize the adapter?!? You realize the explosion that could go off any astrosecond if you don't disconnect the wires?!?"

"Yes, of course I know!" Wheeljack answered, somewhat annoyed. "I knew what I was doing, and...intended to disconnect everything once you all were safe here!"

"…you forgot to do it, didn't you?"

Wheeljack looked down sheepishly. "Yeah…"

Almost as if on cue, the machine in the back of the room started humming and shaking violently.

Everyone panicked, knowing what Wheeljack's inventions were capable of through stories and/or personal experience. The humans dove behind a metal shelf and the Autobots frantically moved to cover the recovering mechs on the berths.

The machine started humming louder and shook more violently…and then puffed a small cloud of smoke before falling silent.

"…That's it?" Wheeljack said, almost sadly. Everyone started to relax when the machine remained silent. Prowl, using the distraction to escape the medbay unnoticed, quickly started for the door.

"Yeah, its okay, guys," Wheeljack said, picking up the machine. "It's harmless now--" The scientist jumped when the machine beeped loudly and instinctively threw it away from himself, and it landed right in front of Prowl before exploding with a sizeable force.

"Prowl!" Ratchet yelled through the smoke. "Are you okay?"

He rushed over to Prowl's form lying spread-eagled across the floor. Luckily not much damage was done, but he had a few new scratches and dents, and his visor was shattered...

Ratchet stared blankly as the dust began to settle.

"Ratchet?" Red Alert asked, "Shouldn't you be helping Prowl?"

But Ratchet only continued his stare. Soon Red Alert found the reason why, and he too was transfixed with the sight.

"Is everything okay in here? Optimus asked, concerned. He, Jazz, Artemis, and Lennox walked over to where the others were gathering, wondering what happened. "What's wrong?" Optimus asked again. Ratchet pointed to Prowl, who was groggily sitting up in the middle of a pile of debris. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary at first…Prowl just had a few scratches, and his visor was shattered so he'd need a new one…wait. His optics…

"Primus…golden optics…"

* * *

Ironhide was expecting a lot of pain, but when none came, he slowly opened his optics. He was attacked with a blinding white light. It took his processors a few moments to realize where he was.

"Slag it, not this place again," he grumbled, sitting up. "Anyone here?" he shouted, not really expecting an answer.

"Good, you're awake."

Ironhide immediately jumped to his feet, startled, and charged his cannons. "Who's there?"

"Calm yourself, warrior. We're here to help you," a second voice said calmly.

Ironhide turned around and was greeted with the sight of six tall robotic forms, all with a similar build, but slight differences between them. The original Primes.

Ironhide's arms fell to his sides while he gaped at the six mechs. They waited patiently for him to regain his composure.

"What am I doing here again?" Ironhide finally asked them. "I'm dead, aren't I? So shouldn't I be in the Well of All Sparks now or something?"

"Yes and no," a third Prime said. "You have indeed left the world of the living, but you're not ready to move on just yet."

"What? Why not?"

"Artemis still needs you," another said.

"But how can I help her now? I'm dead!" Ironhide asked, confused.

The fifth Prime smiled. "So naïve."

"You have much to learn, Ironhide," the last Prime stated.

* * *

**Ta-da! Hope this wasn't a sucky chapter. I tried to make it good.**

**Reviews? *looks up hopefully***

**Come on, I updated in 5 days! That has to be worth something!!!  
**


	13. Distraught

**Da da da daaaaa! I have returned! And I bring with me a new chapter!**

**:3**

**I must give a shoutout to my lovely Kibble Beast,**

**Because she is awesome and amazing and I love her fics and I could go on and on but that list would be a million times longer than this story.  
**

**Please enjoy the chapter. (This A/N isn't long because I'm quite sleep-deprived and still have to write an essay that's due in a few hours.**

**Whoops.)**

* * *

Every Decepticon immediately left the area once Ironhide and Artemis escaped, knowing the wrath that would ensue from Megatron. Unfortunately Starscream was the last one to make his escape, and was therefore caught in the middle of Megatron's rage.

"They _escaped_, Starscream! Just like the other accursed Autobots!" Megatron roared, angrily blasting things with his cannon. It was all the Seeker could do to stay out of the way.

"This is all your fault!" Megatron added, glaring at his Second in Command. "If you had kept that fleshling captive longer I would have managed to kill them!"

Starscream knew better than to oppose Megatron's rage, (mostly through his own experience,) so instead he sought forgiveness.

"I-I apologize, Lord Megatron," Starscream said quickly, bowing low. "If you'll allow me to make up for it--"

The Seeker was cut off mid-sentence by a hard blow to the back of his head. "And why would I give you a chance to utterly fail me once again?"

Thinking fast, Starscream replied, "This plan wasn't a c-complete failure, Lord Megatron…"

Megatron's optics narrowed dangerously, but he refrained from striking his subordinate again for the moment. "How so?"

"W-well, _all_ of the Autobots came to rescue that girl. And the other humans too! She must be more important than we once thought. She could be useful to us! We could strike their base now while they're wounded! N-not to mention, Lord Megatron, I believe we did manage to damage that last Autobot severely enough…"

Megatron stroked his chin thoughtfully, musing about Starscream's words. It was indeed doable, and that fleshling did bring the entire Autobot army along with a few more straggling fleshlings…and oh, how he wanted to destroy the Autobots, especially _those_ Autobots. He was in a very destructive mood.

"Very well, Starscream. You have redeemed yourself this time."

The Seeker visibly relaxed when no more pain came his way.

"But be warned…if this goes wrong, it will be your life on the line." Megatron sneered. "So no pressure."

Starscream gulped.

* * *

A shocked silence filled the Autobots' base as the dust settled around them. Prowl's optics were _gold_?

Ratchet finally snapped out of it and knelt next to Prowl. "How long have your optics been like this, Prowl? And tell me the truth," he asked, gentle but still firm.

Prowl averted his gaze to the ground, desperately wishing he could somehow disappear. He _hated_ all this attention. But when Ratchet's concerned gaze refused to leave him, the cyber ninja relented. "…forever."

Ratchet's mouth tightened slightly at this, and immediately stood up, pulling Prowl with him. The black and gold mech stood without protest, knowing he would have to do this sooner or later. "Optimus, I think we need to have a talk."

"Agreed," he replied, walking off to his office, Ratchet pulling Prowl behind him. The rest were left wondering what the slag happened.

"…I don't get it. What's so special about golden eyes, er, optics?" Major Lennox asked, utterly confused.

"Golden optics are a sign of Primus…our "god" of sorts," Perceptor explained, taking a seat on the floor. Wheeljack, Jetfire and Red Alert joined him, while the humans listened attentively. Jazz also sat down, Artemis resting on his knee.

"A great prophesy was revealed to our race many millions of years ago, probably billions, about the triumph of good over evil," Perceptor continued. "'_The mech of optics gold unites the worlds of young and old, when joining with the last Star from a world both near and far. This son of Primus will lead to the Evil's great defeat, if the Light is guarded close by the ones that care the most. These Guardians of Life can only win the fight if the Doubter gains control, and gets the confidence of old. New allies will be made before that fateful day, and will fight side by side with the Guardians of Life. One Innocent yet brave, whose death will spear the way, will bring forth the Healer great, who alone can reverse fate. One mech will return thrice from a world of blinding white, when the Star cries tears of pain that the Healer will regain. The son of Primus will save his leader from the grave, though the Light will risk its end from the selfless act it lends. But if the Light and Star should die, then the son of Primus will not try, and Evil will reign all in the Universal fall.'_" Our race searched for this 'son of Primus' ever since we heard of the prophesy, but after so long of not finding him, most of us gave up or believed the prophesy to be a fake. It became nothing more than a tale to tell Sparklings. But now…Actually finding a mech with golden optics…" The scientist trailed off.

"You mean to tell me no one else in your history has ever had golden eyes?" Sergeant Epps asked, slightly skeptic.

"No, except for Primus himself," Red Alert confirmed.

Wheeljack noticed that Artemis didn't look at all surprised to hear this news, almost like she had heard it before. When he voiced this, Lennox replied, "Cut her some slack, will ya? It's been a hard day."

Artemis shifted guiltily before replying in a quiet voice, "No…Wheeljack is right. I knew about Prowl."

All eyes and optics turned to her at this statement. Artemis seemed to shrink beneath their gaze.

"How did you find out? And why didn't you tell anyone?" Red Alert asked, a little too strongly. Artemis flinched and Jazz picked her up and held her protectively in his hands, while glaring at Red Alert.

"He told me back when I-" Artemis stopped abruptly. _"When I ran away and shot at Ironhide, and accused him of things he didn't do, that I never got to apologize for, that…" _she thought, emotions quickly bubbling back to the surface. "He told me right before I was kidnapped," Artemis managed to choke out, holding back her tears.

"Did you tell the Decepticons about this?" Red Alert asked frantically. This earned him another glare from Jazz, and he replied for Artemis. "Of course she didn't! She wouldn't tell anything to those no good, Pit-spawned Decepticon lowlifes!" Jazz growled.

"Cool it, Jazz. You can't blame me for wanting to know for sure," Red Alert huffed, crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah? Watch me," Jazz snapped back.

"Alright, you two. Stop it," Perceptor said loudly. "Jazz, you take care of Artemis. Red Alert, you go make sure the security systems are still working at one hundred percent. Wheeljack's invention could have messed with them slightly."

The security officer grumbled to himself, but went off to make sure the security systems were indeed working perfectly. Jazz also got up, still holding Artemis, and went somewhere quieter without a word.

Perceptor sighed. Everyone's stress levels were at a maximum, so tempers were sure to be short, including his own. He just hoped things would get better soon…but that was doubtful.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell us, Prowl?" Optimus asked quietly once the three mechs were inside his office.

The tactician didn't answer; he just kept looking down at his hands.

"Prowl…you don't need to feel ashamed."

"That's not the problem," Prowl said, finally looking up. Optimus was still unused to seeing Prowl's optics in the first place, but the golden optics really struck him and the Prime couldn't help but stare. "_That_ is the problem," Prowl finished, meaning all the attention he was getting.

"Sorry," Optimus said quickly, looking away. Ratchet was standing in a corner, crossing his arms lightly.

"I assume you're quite familiar with the prophesy then," the medic mentioned.

Prowl snorted. "Of course I am. Some 'Son of Primus' is going to meet this special being and together they'll take on evil with their 'Guardian' friends. Big deal."

"But it is a big deal, Prowl!" Optimus said, leaning forward slightly. "Do you know what this could mean?"

"Don't tell me you believe the prophesy, Optimus," Prowl said flatly.

"I'm not saying I do," the commander answered, "but you could stand to rely on more than just pure logic. And, the more I think about it, the more…_plausible_ it seems."

The cyber ninja sighed and rolled his optics. "_This_ is another big reason why I never told anyone…"

"I'm serious, Prowl," Optimus said.

"It's not all that far-fetched to me either," Ratchet added.

"Ratchet, not you too!" Prowl almost pleaded. He thought Ratchet would be more on his side.

"Listen. Golden optics, check. 'Evil,' _big_ check. 'New Allies,' check. Mech that dies three times, check. 'Healer,'" Ratchet paused slightly, referring to himself, (with no small satisfaction,) "…check. Its all coming together."

"Who's died three times?" Optimus asked the medic. "I didn't think that happened yet."

"Jazz," Ratchet replied simply.

"I thought he only 'died' twice," Prowl wondered aloud, despite the fact he disliked where this conversation was going.

"Twice _recently_, yes. But those weren't the first times. I remember when he was just a Hatchling, he almost didn't make it. I still don't know how he managed to survive," Ratchet added thoughtfully.

Optimus looked slightly disappointed upon hearing this.

"…You thought Ironhide would be that mech, didn't you?" the CMO asked him gently, noting his face.

"I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up," the commander admitted.

"Especially because _none of it is true_!" Prowl practically screamed.

Optimus rubbed his optic ridges, frustrated with his Second in Command's sole trust in logic. It blinded him to so many possibilities. "What would have to happen for you to at least _consider_ this prophesy to have _some_ truth to it?"

Prowl thought for a moment. Logically, Ratchet _did_ have something, he would admit that much to himself. But there was one thing he absolutely wouldn't believe without solid proof.

"This 'Star'. You tell me what it is and prove its existence to me, and _show_ it to me, and I will believe," Prowl stated.

One reason he was so intent on disproving the prophesy was his own apprehension. In the back of his processor, a little voice kept nagging, _"It could be true. You could be the Son of Primus everyone's been waiting for. You could be special." _In all honesty, Prowl was just afraid that it _would_ be true. He didn't want to be special. He didn't want to be the leader. Second in command was more his spot, where he was now, where he could take part in the action but hide in the shadows to avoid recognition. That's why he gave them the challenge of finding the 'Star'. He was confident they would have trouble with that part. And if they could prove it, then what the slag. He'd believe. He wouldn't have any other logical choice, really.

Sure enough, Optimus and Ratchet looked stumped. They had theories about every other being mentioned in the prophesy, albeit most of them were farfetched, but this 'Star' was eluding them completely.

Optimus finally gave up. "Ratchet, make sure Prowl is okay and get to work making him a new visor," he sighed, walking out of the room.

* * *

"I miss him," Artemis sniffed, hugging Jazz's neck.

"I know, I know," he replied soothingly. "I do too."

"I never got to apologize to him," Artemis continued, crying into his armor. "After all I did and said, he doesn't know I'm sorry!"

"I'm sure he knows you were just overreacting. He wasn't mad at you."

"He should have been, after everything I told him," Artemis cried.

"_Poor girl," _Jazz thought sadly. His own optics were starting to tear up again.

"Just let it out, Artemis. Don't hold it in," the saboteur said gently, letting his tears flow as well. "Everything will be okay," he added.

Artemis looked up at him. "You promise?"

Jazz looked at the desperate girl before him, the girl who lost everyone she loved, with her green eyes sparkling like sad stars from all her tears. He attempted a small reassuring smile.

"I promise."

* * *

"…This is cruel and unusual punishment," Ironhide growled, watching Artemis and Jazz through one of the mysterious windows. "Why do I have to watch them while they're in so much pain, and I can't do anything about it?"

"Patience, warrior," one of the Primes said calmly. "You will see in time."

"But what am I supposed to 'see,' exactly?" Ironhide asked, exasperated.

"You must watch and find out for yourself."

Ironhide spun his cannons angrily. _"I wish I had something to blow up right now…" _he thought. _"These Primes will be the death of me!"_

"Its not possible to die again once you're dead," another Prime said, looking slightly amused.

"Thank you for that wonderful insight…" the Weapons Specialist growled, then stopped. Something wasn't right.

"And if you wanted a shooting range, all you had to do was ask."

It clicked.

"What the…you can read my mind?!?" Ironhide asked indignantly.

"Obviously we can," one Prime stated, with a hint of a laugh.

Ironhide just huffed and returned his attention to the window, wishing he could comfort not only Jazz and Artemis, but everyone he left behind. _"I hate these slagging mechs…"_

"That was rude."

"Will you _stop_ with the mind reading?" Ironhide shouted, throwing his arms in the air.

Still fuming, he glared with as much force at the Primes. They weren't affected in the slightest, unless you count amusement. The Weapons Specialist grumbled and forced himself to cool off. _"Calm down, Ironhide…control the anger…"_he thought.

"Deep breaths help with that."

Ironhide twitched. _"Ignore them…ignore them…ignore them…"_

He was starting to believe he was sent to the Pit after all.

* * *

**No, Ironhide isn't really in the Pit, the Primes are just enjoying themselves a little. :P**

**At poor 'Hide's expense.**

**I needed some comic relief...I just felt the compulsion. So there!**

**Review please? So when I wake up I have a million kajillion emails to read???**

**:D**


	14. Dismissal

**Like, WOAH.**

**I am on the verge of getting 100 reviews for this story.**

**One HUNDRED. _THREE DIGITS!_**

***flails***

**Anywho...having returned from the barren land I call college...  
**

**This is part of a very, very large update EXTRAVAGANZA!  
**

**Its not that I held this one, its just I happened to finish all the fics and updates at the same time lol...**

**The MEGASCREAM is entirely for Kibble Beast. I hope I can live up to the expectation that she has for these.  
**

**:D**

**What can I say other than please ENJOY this chapter!**

**(oh, side note...Prowl is the official Second in Command. I know I've called Jazz Second in Command before, but from here on out its Prowl. It will be fixed entirely, among other things, when I revamp this story after its completion.)  
**

* * *

Starscream nervously watched Megatron pace back and forth, completing _his_ last-minute plan to attack the Autobots while they were still weak…weak_er_.

"Now, let me see…I could send everyone out, but then that would leave the base wide open, and those sneaky Autobots would have a clear shot in! But if I leave someone behind, I could lose the battle because I was one mech short…" Megatron muttered to himself. The silver mech suddenly whirled upon Starscream, startling the Seeker into falling backwards with a yelp.

"Starscream!" Megatron yelled, looming ominously over the cowering mech. "You're not helping!"

"I-I'm sorry, Lord Megatron," Starscream stuttered, slowly inching away from his obviously impending doom. "I-if you will allow my input, I think we s-should keep someone here to guard the base, in case those Autobots try to sneak attack us again!"

Megatron growled and kicked the Seeker in the side. "_Idiot_! They wouldn't dare attack again while being so utterly weak! Leaving someone behind would be what they want me to do, to give them an advantage! This is why I don't ask for your pathetic help! You are so _useless_!" Megatron kicked Starscream again to further illustrate the Seeker's uselessness.

"Please forgive me, L-lord Megatron," Starscream pleaded, bowing at his commander's feet in hopes of escaping more abuse. "But of course the Autobots wouldn't attack again. How foolish of me to believe-"

Megatron swiftly slammed his Second in Command against the wall, pinning him by the throat. "How foolish _indeed_, Starscream," Megatron said dangerously, optics narrowing slightly. He then released the Seeker, who crumpled to the floor.

"Gather the others, Starscream," Megatron commanded. The Second in Command scrambled to his feet as fast as he could. When he wasn't moving fast enough, Megatron whacked him in the head and yelled, "Faster, you insignificant insect!"

Starscream literally flew out of the room.

* * *

Red Alert was still slightly ticked off about the small argument with Jazz as he went to check the security system was working at full capacity. Despite his fuming, several scenarios of a failing system plagued his processor so he hurried off to the main security room. As each scene played through his head, he cursed himself over and over again for not checking on the system earlier. He realized on his way there that the perimeter alarms _would_ actually be slightly off, seeing as every window on base was now shattered. The security officer shook his head sadly, remembering just how upset Optimus was when he realized what Ironhide did. That shout destroyed every window like they were nothing.

Red Alert cursed loudly when he reached his destination. Not only did Optimus shatter the windows, but the computer screens as well. The computers themselves were still intact, but it would be impossible to read what they were telling him without any screens.

This normally wouldn't be too much of a problem, except several alarms were going off at once. And Red Alert didn't think it was just because of Optimus or Wheeljack. Call it paranoia if you will, but the security bot had a bad feeling in the back of his processor that this was going to become a very large problem.

* * *

Prowl didn't say a word as he followed Ratchet into the medbay again. The medic was busy forming him a new visor, and was nice enough not to bring anything up about him or the prophesy. Luckily the others decided to keep silent as well.

"Finished," Ratchet said, holding up the new visor and scrutinizing it one last time before heading over to Prowl.

"Offline your optics for a few astroseconds," he said, removing the damaged visor. "I need to make sure there's no serious damage."

Prowl complied wordlessly and allowed Ratchet to carefully inspect his optics. When he was satisfied, the medic attached the new visor over Prowl's optics and stepped back. It was an exact match to the original.

"Thanks, Ratchet," Prowl said, onlining his optics again. He was glad to finally have his visor back, as he was extremely uncomfortable without it.

"No problem," Ratchet replied. Then, chuckling, he added, "Just try to stay away from Wheeljack's inventions for a while, okay?"

Smiling in spite of himself, Prowl nodded and headed off to his solitary corner.

As soon as Prowl left him, Ratchet's cheerful demeanor fell instantly. He knew better than to bring up the prophesy with the strategist, especially in front of the others, but he was thinking about it the entire time he was working on the new visor. Even though he was still slightly hesitant to believe the prophesy to be real, Ratchet could still easily point out several parts that had already come true. Things were really starting to come together, but what they really needed was the Star. But no one had any idea about what, much less where, it could be.

* * *

Red Alert basically flew down the corridor to Optimus's office and burst through the door.

Startled, Optimus looked up at his security officer and waited silently for his report. Though he could be paranoid at times, the Autobot commander knew that all of Red's worries were based on facts, and therefore seriously considered everything the bot pointed out.

"Optimus, sir…" Red Alert started, ventilation systems working overtime. "I just went to check on the security systems, and several alarms are going off."

"What do they say?" Optimus asked immediately, slightly on edge.

"I don't know, sir. The screens are shattered."

Cursing himself silently for causing this problem, Optimus knew he had to rely on Red Alert's 'paranoia' in this situation. "What do you think it is?"

"Decepticons," the security officer said immediately. "There's too many alarms going off to just be the shattered windows or a result from Wheeljack's invention."

Optimus nodded, trusting his officer's judgment. "We must find out where they are."

The commander immediately stood and set off for the medbay with Red Alert. He stopped in the doorway, searching for Jetfire. He finally spotted the mech over by Jolt.

"Jetfire," Optimus said, getting the Seeker's attention. "I have a job for you."

Jetfire immediately went to his commander as Ratchet took over caring for the injured mechs again.

"Yes, Optimus?"

"We have a security breech. We're almost positive it's a Decepticon invasion, but we have no idea where they are. I need you to find out for us."

"D-decepticon invasion?" Jetfire stuttered. Optimus and Red Alert nodded silently. Gathering himself, Jetfire also nodded and followed the two mechs outside, where he transformed and set off to discover the whereabouts of the impending Decepticon army.

* * *

"What's going on over there?" Sergeant Epps asked, motioning over to where Optimus, Red Alert, and Jetfire stood.

Perceptor's optics narrowed as he listened to the conversation, as he could hear what was being said easily with his superior audio receptors.

"Well?"

"Decepticons," Major Lennox answered. His hearing had dramatically improved since the Cybertronian chip was implanted in his neck. "Optimus seems convinced that they're coming."

"What? But didn't we just finish fighting them?" Sergeant Epps asked. "Shouldn't they be repairing their wounded?"

"Decepticons are not like us," Wheeljack answered. "In the lower ranks, if they're weak enough to get seriously injured, they're not worth saving. Only the higher ranking Decepticon officers get treated, and most of the time they don't need it anyway."

Perceptor nodded in agreement. "All of the Decepticons we were able to take out were low ranking officers, barely worth Megatron's time. Megatron still has enough of his army to give us the fight of a lifetime if he strikes us now."

"…Why do I get the feeling we're in for another ass-whooping?"

* * *

Optimus watched the sky for the next several minutes worriedly. The cool night and cheerfully twinkling stars did little to ease his processor. If Decepticons were indeed on their way here, the Autobots would be in major trouble.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Optimus spotted Jetfire returning. The Seeker had barely transformed before he started reporting what he saw.

"…there's at least a dozen of them, maybe more…coming from the northeast…not that far away…thirty minutes, tops…" Jetfire gasped, physically drained from flying so fast.

Optimus could only nod in response, his worst fears coming true. Red Alert helped Jetfire back inside as Optimus prepared to tell the others the bad news.

The tense silence that greeted the leader told him everyone already had a suspicion of the truth.

"Are they really coming?" Major Lennox asked.

"Yes. The Decepticons are not far away, and will be here shortly."

"What are we going to do?"

"We will prepare to fight," Optimus stated.

"Fight? But we're still recovering from the last battle! There's no way we can win!"

"We know the chances of winning are slim," Red Alert said. "But its either go down with a fight or give up and die as cowards."

Everyone nodded in agreement. And given the choice, they would fight instead of giving up.

"Ratchet, do what you can for our wounded," Optimus said, turning to the medic. "If they wake and want to fight, we have to let them."

Sighing, Ratchet gave into this command, however grudgingly. "What if they don't wake?" he asked, going to check on the injured mechs yet again.

"Then we will have to ensure their safety before the Decepticons arrive," Optimus replied sadly. Looking around, he noticed not everyone was in the medbay. "Where's Jazz and Artemis?"

* * *

Megatron glowered at the Autobot Seeker flying overhead. He wanted to shoot it down and release some of the frustration he was having due to those accursedly accursed do-gooders, but resisted the urge. He decided to let the Autobots know of his impending arrival, so they could uselessly scurry around in fear of the mighty Lord Megatron.

"May I ask why we are walking, Lord Megatron?" Starscream asked meekly, also eyeing the flying Autobot.

Wrong question.

Megatron abruptly stopped his stride and turned on his Second in Command. "Do you question Lord Megatron?"

"N-no, of course not, Master! I was just hoping you'd share your great knowled--"

"Lies! You were questioning me, Starscream," Megatron growled menacingly, flexing his claws. Starscream cowered beneath him, preparing for the abuse that was surely coming his way. "Do you know what happens to the unfaithful?"

Starscream was too afraid to say anything lest it get him in more trouble, so he kept his low bow and hoped it wouldn't be too painful.

Sure enough, a sharp kick to his side caused the Seeker to crash into a nearby tree, easily snapping it in two.

"We are walking to conserve our energy. I am not underestimating those Autobots again!" Megatron shouted at Starscream. He lunged forward and grabbed his Second in Command by his chin, roughly pulling him off his feet. "And we need all the energy we can get, don't we?" he said, dangerously close and dangerously quiet.

"Y-yes…"

"Because if we fail, it will be your death sentence, _right_?"

"…Y-yes, Master…"

"Good," Megatron said, satisfied. He dropped the Seeker to the ground and continued towards the Autobot base. Every other Decepticon passed by Starscream, either completely ignoring him or laughing at his fate. The Second in Command ignored the sneers that came his way and sat still momentarily, gathering himself again and allowing his internal healing system to start repairing his newest wound. Finally he stood with a sigh and caught up with the others. He could always think more before he said anything, but then again, Megatron would surely find a way to twist his words so he came out being even more useless than before. It seemed to be a talent and favorite hobby of his Master.

* * *

Optimus found Jazz and Artemis across the corridor. The silver mech was lying on his back with one hand placed protectively over Artemis, who was sound asleep on his chest. His head was resting on his other hand, but he wasn't recharging. He was just lying awake, apparently deep in thought.

"Jazz," Optimus said quietly. The saboteur looked up at his name. "The Decepticons are on their way. We need your help."

Startled, Jazz transferred a still sleeping Artemis to his hands and sat up. "What do you mean, 'they're on their way?'"

"Red Alert told me about several security alarms sounding. Jetfire has just now confirmed their approach to our base."

"Are we going to fight them?"

Looking away, Optimus replied, "What else is there to do? We can't run, and giving up is not an option."

Jazz wanted to protest, but he knew there was no other choice.

"What about Sides and the others? And Artemis? We can't let them fight!"

"If any of our injured want to fight, there's nothing we can do to stop them. You know all of them well enough to know they wouldn't be able to consciously sit out of a fight with this much at stake."

Gritting his teeth, Jazz nodded his acknowledgement. "What about Artemis then?"

Optimus sat on the floor, rubbing his optic ridges. "I have no idea. She wouldn't take well to being hidden away, and knowing her she'd try to find a way back out to fight. But there's no way she'd be able to do any damage, even if she isn't just a normal human girl." Optimus smiled to himself despite the situation, shaking his head slowly. "I must admire her determination, but there's no way she could help, unless she happened to be…for some reason…"

Jazz looked intently at his leader when Optimus let his sentence trail off. "What is it, Optimus?"

Optimus spend several more moments deep in thought. Then suddenly, everything crashed together into a sudden revelation. He remembered talking with Prowl and Ironhide, agreeing that Artemis wasn't normal. Optimus had completely forgotten about that conversation since, because of everything that seemed to be happening all at once…But now, when Prowl was revealed to have golden optics, and pieces of the prophesy were starting to come together, Optimus thought he may have just found the biggest piece of all.

"Her name."

"Huh?" Jazz asked, completely confused. "You mean Artemis?"

"Her surname," Optimus corrected.

"Rae? There's nothing special about that. I guess it's a little short by Earthling terms, but…"

"No, think about it. When its translated into Cybertronian, what does her surname resemble?"

Jazz silently contemplated this, translating her name into Cybertronian and studying the character in his processor. "I guess it kinda looks like 'star,' but…" the saboteur trailed off when he caught the commander's optic. "You seriously aren't thinking what I think you are, are you?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes. It makes perfect sense…It's her."

Jazz looked down at the still peacefully sleeping girl in his hands. "Oh slag."

* * *

"No way…there is no way that can be true!" Ironhide exclaimed, watching the exchange between Jazz and Optimus. "Tell me they're wrong!" he added, turning to the Primes.

"…They are correct, Ironhide. The prophesy is indeed coming true."

"But she can't be--"

"She is."

"But she's just a girl!"

"You said yourself that she wasn't normal," one of the Primes stated.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean she would be the _Star_!" the Weapons Specialist yelled out of frustration.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"You're mind readers. I'm sure you already know," Ironhide huffed, crossing his arms. "She can and probably _will_ get hurt because of this war she shouldn't even be a part of!" he went on, before the Primes could reply.

"It's been her destiny since before she was born."

"Then change it! She can't do this!"

"We cannot change the Will of Primus."

"Then go find him yourselves and make him change his fragging mind! Just don't let her do this!" Ironhide pleaded.

"She must, or the universe will fall to evil," a Prime said.

"If she chooses to ignore her status as the Star, the universe will die," another added.

"You must be the one to convince her to accept it," a third stated.

"But I don't _want_ her to accept it!" Ironhide exclaimed.

"She _must_, Ironhide. Do not let your personal feelings get in the way," one Prime said strongly.

The Weapons Specialist took that criticism to Spark. He _was_ a warrior first and foremost, dedicated to the Autobot cause. Dedicated to protecting the universe, even if it meant making sacrifices. But that still didn't explain how he would talk to Artemis.

"And _how_ exactly do I convince her while being dead?" Ironhide asked flatly.

"Such a Doubter."

"Control it, and you will see."

"Control what?" the Weapons Specialist grumbled, quickly losing his patience.

"You must find-"

"-_find out for myself_. Yeah, fine," Ironhide finished, frowning.

"We cannot tell you everything, Ironhide," another Prime said slowly.

"Well, it would be a lot easier to do what you want me to if you'd just _tell_ me everything directly, instead of giving me all these fragging cryptic messages."

The Primes remained silent, though they seemed frustrated with Ironhide's lack of cooperation. They were quickly running out of time. If he would just take a moment to actually _listen_ to them, he would be able to see what he needed to.

If it came down to it, they might just have to ask Primus himself to show Ironhide the truth.

* * *

**Was this chapter okay? I ended up writing a lot of it on a lot of sleep-deprived time, so I'm not sure exactly how well it flows together.**

**Hopefully it lived up to all of your expectations!**


	15. Disbelief

**AAAHHHH!!! I'm sooooo sorryyyyy! Dx**

**I never meant for the wait to be this long!!**

**Please accept my apology. *sniffs unhappily***

**Anyway, please enjoy Chapter 15!!**

**P.S. - I apologize to Kibble Beast especially, as there is not nearly as much MEGASCREAM as I had originally hoped for this chapter.**

* * *

Ironhide grumbled to himself as he stalked away from the Primes. He was _really_ getting annoyed with them. Sighing, he found a wall (that never used to be there, he noticed) and sat down, leaning against it.

"Artemis, how am I supposed to find you?" Ironhide asked quietly. He didn't notice the figure appear to his right.

* * *

Artemis was enjoying a wonderful dream, but suddenly she was blinded by an overwhelming white light.

"…Damn it!!" she cursed to herself after she realized it was the Matrix. "What the hell am I doing here again?"

Artemis growled in frustration and looked around for something to walk towards, though she expected nothing but the infuriating white. She was surprised to see a lone black figure leaning against a wall. A very _familiar_ lone black figure. Wave upon wave of emotion slammed into Artemis when she recognized the black mech an instant later.

"Ironhide!" Artemis yelled, running towards him.

The Weapons Specialist was so startled by hearing his name yelled he fell over slightly.

"What…Artemis? Is that you?" he asked incredulously.

Artemis didn't offer an answer to this question other than to launch herself at the mech and hug him as tightly as she could.

"Oh Ironhide, I'm so sorry! I'm so _sorry_! I didn't mean anything I said, I was just upset and I misunderstood what you meant, I'm so so sorry!"

Slightly taken aback, Ironhide comforted her. "Hey, Artemis, its okay. I'm not mad."

"You should be."

"But I'm not." Looking down at the upset girl clinging to his side, he continued, "I know you didn't mean it, it just shocked me a little. And I would've gone after you but you hit a main energon line."

"Yeah, I know," Artemis sniffed. "Prowl told me."

"Anyway, how could I be angry at you for taking such a wonderful shot? The chances of someone hitting that line are one in a million," Ironhide laughed.

Artemis smiled in spite of herself.

"I'm just glad you and the others are safe," Ironhide said quietly.

"Its all my fault! If I hadn't run…I wouldn't have needed rescuing. And no one would've been hurt and you wouldn't have died!"

"My time was coming soon enough anyway. And I'm happy I got to go out while protecting the mechs, and people, I care about. Plus, I'm sure Ratchet was getting tired of fixing those cables in my hip so often. Always annoyed the slag outta him."

Artemis was glad for the good humor Ironhide had. She'd surely still be crying if he didn't. Artemis glanced around the area, expecting more white, but again was surprised.

"Woah, who are they?" she asked, noticing the Primes for the first time.

One of them stepped forward. "We are--"

"--Nobody important," Ironhide finished, glaring pointedly at the six Primes.

Unfazed, the Prime continued. "We have brought you here for a reason, Artemis."

"So what's the reason? I hate this place."

"As do I," Ironhide grumbled, agreeing.

"Ironhide," another Prime said, prompting the Weapons Specialist to start.

With a roll of his optics and an exasperated sigh, Ironhide began to explain.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about a Cybertronian prophesy, would you?"

"The 'mech of optics gold' one? Yeah, Prowl told me about that too, after he showed me his optics."

"Ah, well that will make things easier. It turns out the prophesy…is real."

"Really? How do you know?" Artemis asked.

Ironhide waved a hand at the Primes. "Them. For a reason I can't figure out Primus chose them to be the original Primes, the first of our race. Thank goodness he's made better choices since then."

The Primes shifted slightly but otherwise did not react.

"…okay…" Artemis said. "So what's this prophesy have to do with me being here?"

"Its coming true. Now. Prowl really is the Son of Primus. Ratchet is the Great Healer…that will definitely inflate his ego…the Mech that Returns Thrice is Jazz. He almost died as a sparkling, you know, so that makes three. The Leader is obviously Prime. The New Allies are Major Lennox and his team. The Guardians of Life are the Autobots. 'Evil'…not that hard to figure out."

Artemis listened intently as Ironhide explained everything to her. "Okay," she said. "But if I remember correctly, there was a Star, a Light, a Doubter, and an Innocent but Brave. Who are they?"

"I don't know who the Doubter or the Innocent but Brave is. The Light and Star are the same, just given a different name. And…the Star…the Star is _you_, Artemis."

Artemis laughed nervously. "You're joking, right? I mean, I don't glow or shine or anything, I'm just a normal girl…"

"Your last name. When its translated into Cybertronian, it turns out to be our word for 'star'. And, you _are_ the last of your family. The 'Last Star.'"

Artemis shook her head. "No. its not me. It _can't_ be me. There's just no way."

"It _is_ you, Artemis Rae, Star of Life," a Prime said.

Artemis looked pleadingly around the room. "But…but I don't feel special. I don't feel like I'm this super important person in this war…"

"Because you have to accept it first," Ironhide told her.

"What do you mean, 'accept it?'" she asked.

"I don't know. They don't give me many details."

"Once you truly accept it with your heart you will become the Star that must be to end Evil," another Prime stated.

"How do I do that?"

"You must find out for yourself," Ironhide said before a Prime could. "I know how frustrating that sounds, believe me. I've heard it a lot around here."

Artemis sighed, holding her head in her hands. "I don't know, Ironhide…This is just too much…"

Ironhide was just about to respond when a lot of movement in the window caught his optic.

"What's going on down there?"

Ironhide and Artemis moved closer to get a better look. Everyone back at the base was hovering around Artemis' limp body, and Ratchet was rushing around to gather supplies.

"_Hurry, Ratchet! She doesn't have a pulse!"_

"_Shut it! I'm running as fast as I can, Jazz!"_

"_What happened?"_

"_I don't know! She was sleeping one moment, but the next she doesn't have a heart beat!"_

Back in the Matrix, Artemis' eyes went wide. "What the…I'm _dead_?!?"

"It had to be done to get you here."

"…you KILLED me?!?" Artemis yelled, spinning on the Primes.

Ironhide was equally enraged. "How the _frag_ is she supposed to do anything when she's dead?"

With everlasting patience, a Prime answered, "It is only temporary. She will go back to them."

"When?" Artemis asked, but in the blink of an eye she was staring up at Jazz, who was, in all honesty, freaking out.

"Artemis!" he yelled, pulling her into a tight hug. "We thought we lost you!"

"Jazz…Jazz. Hey. I can't breathe that well…"

"Oh, sorry," he said, releasing his grip slightly.

"Let go, Jazz. I must scan her."

"No, Ratchet, I'm okay," Artemis said somewhat groggily, pulling away from her 'captor.' Her mind was still on Ironhide…she had seen him again, talked to him again…as much as she hated that place, she wanted to go back. There was so much more she wanted to say…

"You went from a healthy recharge to basically dead in seconds. That is by no means okay," the medic replied, cutting across her thoughts. He leaned closer in preparation for his scans.

"You don't understand. I didn't almost die, I just went to the Matrix."

"That was probably a hallucination effect from the near death experience," Ratchet said, dismissing it. He started up his scans.

"No! I'm serious! I went to the Matrix and talked with Ironhide! It was about the prophesy! He told me its true, and its happening now!"

Optimus cut across whatever comment Ratchet was about to make. "Was anyone else there?"

"Um…I met the original Primes, I think. There were six of them, and they all kinda looked the same but had differences too. Ironhide doesn't seem to like them that much though…"

Optimus nodded slowly. "It may not have been just a hallucination, Ratchet. The Primes may have indeed brought her back to the Matrix. It also explains what just happened."

"But why? She's just a girl."

"Uh…while I was there…Ironhide was telling me who everyone was, relating to the prophesy," Artemis said.

"What did he say?" Optimus asked. The other mechs waited silently for her to continue.

"He said Prowl was the Son of Primus…"

Prowl scoffed at this but otherwise remained silent.

"And Ratchet was the Great Healer…"

Despite the situation, Ratchet smiled triumphantly when he heard it said.

"And Jazz was the Mech that Returned Thrice…and the Leader is you, Optimus, and our New Allies are Major Lennox and his team…all the Autobots are the Guardians of Life…and the Evil was Megatron."

Optimus thought for a moment. Everything she said was what he already suspected, this was just confirming it, especially if it indeed came from the knowledge of the Primes.

"Did he say anything about the others? Or the Star?" he asked.

"Yeah…he said who the Star was…" Artemis said quietly.

The whole room waited anxiously for the answer to their unasked question. The Star was what brought everything together. It was the one big piece they were missing.

Taking a big breath, Artemis continued. "Ironhide, and the Primes, said…_I_ was the Star."

The room was too shocked to say anything right away. Prowl especially was surprised. If she was indeed the Star…

"They're wrong," Jazz managed to say a few seconds later.

"Hold it, Jazz. It makes perfect sense. 'A world both young and old, near and far?' When you think about it, that means Earth. Compared to Cybertron this world is young, but to the humans it is old. And its nowhere near our home planet, but we're here now, making both near and far to us," Ratchet said, crossing his arms in thought.

"And don't forget her name. Rae translates to Star in Cybertronian, and she is the last of her family here, thus making her the 'Last Star,'" Optimus added.

"It's not her! It can't be her!" Jazz said, refusing to believe it. "Isn't the Star supposed to be special or something? She's just a girl!"

"They told me I have to accept it first," Artemis said, stepping away from Jazz. "I don't want to believe it myself, but the evidence is overwhelming."

"But…you can't! This isn't your war! Its too dangerous!" Jazz looked around the room, pleading with someone to agree with him. Everyone avoided his gaze…not even Prowl would help him. "Tell her she can't do this!"

"…I'm sorry, Jazz. If she is the Star, then she must."

Realizing he wasn't getting any outside help, Jazz turned to Artemis, and crouched down until he was face to face with her. "Whatever you do, you cannot accept it, do you hear me? You _cannot_ accept being the Star!"

"But Jazz--"

"No buts! You don't know what you're getting yourself into!"

"If I am, I have to, Jazz! Everything depends on it!"

"I'm saying this for your safety--"

"There won't be anything left worth saving me for if I don't!"

"If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me," the silver mech pleaded.

"No, Jazz. I'm sorry, but no."

Stung, the saboteur sat up again. "I see how it is now," he said coldly, standing up.

"Jazz! Where are you going?" Optimus asked. "The Decepticons are almost here!"

"I'm leaving."

"Jazz, no! Don't go--" Artemis started.

"You obviously don't want my help, so why should I stick around here?" Jazz asked over his shoulder.

"You over-dramatic fragger, get your aft back here!" Ratchet yelled after him, but to no effect. Jazz was gone.

"Should we go after him, Optimus?" Red Alert asked.

"No. Let him leave. There's no use trying to make him stay," the leader sighed. A few moments later he straightened up. "We must prepare for the attack. Ratchet, how are our injured?"

"They're awake, and functional enough. Of course they all want to fight as well," Ratchet replied. "I can try to give them as much energy as possible to help."

Optimus nodded once, and Ratchet left the room for the medbay with Jetfire.

Artemis was still, trying her best not to cry. The others moved around her, preparing for battle.

"Artemis," Optimus said softly. "I need you to listen to me very carefully." He held out a hand for her to climb on. She did so, and was brought up to face level with Optimus.

"I know this is hard on you," the leader continued, "But right now you need to make a decision. You can either choose to stay with us for the battle, or leave with Major Lennox."

"I…I don't know. I want to stay and help, but…I don't know what I'm supposed to do! And even if I did I wouldn't know how to do it. I just…" Artemis trailed off, obviously upset from the recent events.

Optimus knew it wouldn't be good for her to stay for the battle from her reaction. In all honesty he was disappointed, but he wouldn't let Artemis know that. She didn't need to feel any more guilty than she already was. "Its okay, Artemis. You can leave, we won't blame you."

Artemis only nodded as she was brought back to the floor, where Lennox led her to his team. As much as he wanted to stay, he had injured men to take care of and he felt like he'd be more of a nuisance than a help this time around.

"When you leave, go south. I've secured that route for you; no Decepticons should get in your way," Red Alert told them.

With a word of thanks, the humans evacuated the base. And not a moment too soon.

"What are we supposed to do without the Star?" Wheeljack asked.

"We fight, just like we always have," Prowl replied.

* * *

"Ahhh…there it is. The Autobot base…" Megatron growled. He glared longingly at the base below him. "Starscream, get up here!"

"Yes, Lord Megatron," the Seeker answered, limping up to his leader's side. He took as much time as he could get away with; he was in no hurry whatsoever to receive more pain.

"Could you be any slower, cretin?…Remember to be _fully_ alert, Starscream," Megatron said dangerously. "I will have absolutely _no_ tolerance for cowardice from you! Because today, I will make it my personal mission to make sure that cowards _don't_ survive. Understood?"

"Completely, my liege," Starscream said, bowing.

"Good," Megatron replied, smacking the Seeker's head roughly. "Now make yourself useful! Decepticons, attack!"

The air was filled with roars and growls, followed by several explosions.

The battle had begun.

* * *

Artemis could hear the sounds of battle taking place, even miles away. Deep down inside she felt guilty for breaking down like that and not being able to help them, and abandoning them for safety. In all honesty she wanted to go back and find some way to help. She really didn't know what she would do, but hey, maybe she'd know once she got there.

Artemis's impulsive side took over as she leapt from the moving vehicle. She got up and immediately started running back towards the base.

"Artemis! Damnit, girl," Lennox yelled. "You keep going, I'll get her," he commanded his team as he jumped out as well and ran after Artemis.

Artemis was running so fast she could have sworn she was flying. She barely heard the shouts and yells behind her as she approached the base again.

"Artemis, what the hell are you doing?" Major Lennox asked angrily, finally catching up with her.

"I need to help them," she said. A very determined light shone in her eyes.

"And how in the world do you plan on doing that?"

"I don't know yet," she answered, diving down the hill to the battle.

Cursing everything imaginable, Lennox followed her.

* * *

The fighting was vicious. The Decepticons had no mercy for their prey as they tore through the walls of the base. The Autobots were being taken down left and right; the battle was indeed very one-sided.

"Where is the girl?" Megatron demanded, shooting at Optimus.

"I'll never tell you!" the Autobot commander replied, dodging the blast and countering with his own guns.

"Then you will all pay the price!" Megatron declared, diving into Optimus.

Prowl was once again battling Barricade, holding his own quite well this time around, all things considered. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were executing their most infamous fighting technique; Jet Judo. So far they managed to take down Thundercracker, but Skywarp and Starscream were proving to be much harder. Starscream seemed to have a bit more courage today than they were used to, and Skywarp had that annoying warp ability. Coupled with their lack of energy and previous injuries, it was near on impossible to take the other Seekers down. But that didn't stop them from trying.

Bumblebee was already knocked out by Sideways, and Red Alert was currently struggling with the Decepticon. Wheeljack was digging through his lab supplies, searching for volatile chemicals that would explode when thrown at the enemy. Perceptor was also down; Ratchet was simultaneously trying to fend off two Decepticons and repair him. Jolt was barely online fighting Mixmaster, and Jetfire was grounded from a hard shot to his wings.

…Things were indeed going rough for the Autobots.

"What is so special about this one fleshling's life?" Megatron snarled. "Just hand her over and we'll be on our way!"

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, Megatron!" Optimus replied. "And I don't believe that you would just leave us alone."

"I am hurt by your lack of faith in my word, Prime," Megatron said maliciously.

"I'm sure it won't hurt more than this!" Optimus retorted, firing both guns simultaneously at the giant silver mech. Both hit him directly in the chest.

Megatron was going to retaliate until a comparatively small silver mech dove out of nowhere into his head.

"Get off me, you insect!" the Decepticon leader demanded, clawing at the mech.

"What's the matter, Megatron? Can't handle the awesome?" Jazz replied, grinning evilly.

The distraction was all Optimus needed to take another shot at Megatron. Jazz artfully leapt out of the way just as the giant blast knocked the Decepticon backwards.

"Nice of you to join the battle, Jazz," Optimus said, firing at another Decepticon.

"Aw, I felt guilty leaving you to fight without my awesomeness, so I came back," Jazz said with a smile.

That smile was short lived; in those few seconds of distraction, a stray shot hit him in the shoulder and forced him backwards…straight into the claws of a fuming Megatron.

"I remember you," Megatron said slowly, gripping the smaller mech tightly. "Shall I tear you into even more pieces this time?"

"NO!"

The voice rang especially loud; all fighting was halted.

"Let him go!" Artemis demanded.

"Artemis! What are you doing? Get out of here!" Jazz yelled.

"Let him go, Megatron," Artemis said again.

"Why would I listen to the demands of a fleshling like yourself? What are you offering in place of his life?" Megatron asked, optics narrowing.

"Leave him, and all the Autobots alone, and promise to leave this base immediately…and I will go with you."

"No! Artemis, you can't!"

"Get out of here now!"

"Don't do it, Artemis!" Optimus yelled.

"You said freedom was the right of all sentient beings, right, Prime? She is _freely_ choosing to go with us in return for your lives. And you want to stop her from making this free choice?"

"Artemis, please, don't do it," Optimus pleaded.

She ignored him. She was doing what she felt she had to in order to help them, even if they weren't happy with it. Artemis continued to face Megatron. "Do we have a deal?"

"If you come with me, I will order my Decepticons to fall back and leave this base immediately," Megatron answered, smiling maliciously.

"And you will not take any Autobots hostage?"

"No, they will all remain here," Megatron added.

"Then let's go."

Megatron tossed Jazz aside, and grabbed the girl, smiling triumphantly. The Autobots pleaded with Artemis not to go…but they couldn't do anything about it. Not only because she freely chose to do so, but because they were still highly outnumbered.

"Lord Megatron, I have found another fleshling hiding among the ruins!" Starscream said, holding Major Lennox in his hands.

"Good, Starscream," Megatron said, approving. "Bring him back to base as well!"

"No! You said you wouldn't--"

"I said I wouldn't take any _Autobots_, fleshling," Megatron replied harshly. "You said nothing about him."

"But--"

"Quiet!" Megatron snarled. "Decepticons, fall back! Return to our base, and take no prisoners!" he added.

Immediately every Decepticon flew off, leaving the Autobots behind.

"…Well this sucks." Jazz said, kicking angrily at a pile of rubble. He, like every other Autobot, felt like he failed epically.

"Something doesn't feel right," Ratchet said, narrowing his optics. "Megatron is up to something. He never just leaves like that."

"…I think I just found it," Sunstreaker said.

A bomb was beeping ominously amongst the rubble of their base.

* * *

"Soundwave, is the bomb planted?"

"Yes, Lord Megatron. Soundwave planted bomb while battle took place. No Autobot took notice," Soundwave replied.

"Excellent, Soundwave!" Megatron replied.

"What? Bomb?!?" Artemis asked, twisting around in Starscream's grasp to catch a glimpse of the base with Lennox. Megatron refused to hold the fleshling for extended periods of time. A second later Soundwave detonated the bomb, creating a gigantic explosion that completely obliterated the base.

"NOOOO!" Artemis screamed. "NO! Jazz! Optimus! Ratchet! Everyone…no!"

Major Lennox was too shocked to say anything; he just stared in complete horror.

Megatron laughed his most evil, cunning laugh. Today was a good day.

* * *

Optimus blinked. He could have sworn he was headed for the Well of All Sparks, or even just the Matrix…but what he saw in front of him was the inside of a very large cave. And for some reason, this didn't seem like the afterlife to him.

Groans and mumbles coming from all around him told Optimus that the others were there too.

"What the frag just happened?" Jazz asked, sitting up. "I thought we were slagged for sure!"

"So did I," Ratchet grumbled. "Anyone care to offer an explanation of what the frag just happened?!?" he added, pulling emergency medical equipment from subspace and taking care of the injured mechs before him.

"I can offer an explanation," Wheeljack spoke up. All optics were on him. "So, while I was in my lab, I noticed Soundwave sneaking around holding something. I discovered it was a bomb, and knew that it would be detonated as soon as the Decepticons left. I also happened to have this lovely little invention I'd been working on, one that was similar to the device that brought you all back from the Decepticon base. Except this one could transport us _anywhere_, not just back to base. I chose this destination, because not only is it safe from the elements, but the carbon deposits shield us from detection of all kinds."

_Thwack_.

"I swear, Wheeljack, I'm going to dismantle you myself!" Ratchet exclaimed, hitting the scientist with a spare wrench he kept with him for such occasions.

"Wh-what? Why?!?" he stuttered.

"Because you've just pulled off _two_ miracles in a row. If a third one happens, the universe is liable to spontaneously combust!" The medic answered him. And he wasn't joking in the slightest.

"Enough, Ratchet. Take care of our injured. We must find Artemis as soon as possible. We cannot let her stay in Decepticon hands; there's no telling what they will do to her." Optimus said.

"Um…about that, sir…" Wheeljack said quietly, avoiding his leader's gaze.

"Yes, Wheeljack?"

"You see…there's a slight side effect I didn't manage to nullify."

"For Primus's sake, Wheeljack, what is it?" Ratchet growled impatiently.

"We didn't just move through space…we also moved through time."

"…How much time has passed, Wheeljack. _How much time_?!?"

"…About two years."

This time Ratchet _would_ have dismantled the scientist if he hadn't been restrained.

* * *

**Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait!!**

**I also hope it didn't seem too rushed...I really wanted to get it finished and out for you all.**

**I realize there are a lot of discontinuities within this story still. I promise to start the revamp soon, as I decided to revamp before I finish this fic. I feel it will make things work better.  
**

**Oh, and side note! If you check out my profile, there will be a link to a website that I have pictures entered in a contest. If you could please vote for my pictures, I would greatly appreciate it!**

**Also, if you help me promote my pictures by posting them or telling others to visit my profile to vote, I will gladly reward you with a Transformers oneshot of your choosing. It can be anything! You want Optimus doing the hula? You got it. You want Megatron being uber evil? No problem. You want slash? All yours! Just send me a PM with the following information after you've helped promote my pictures:**

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	16. Denial

**Weeeelll.**

**That took a while, eh?**

**_ Sorry about all that. But I'll have you know I churned out over 4000 words of this document in less than 2 hours today. Because I wanted you guys to have this chapter after more than 3 months of wait.**

**This chapter is rather choppy, as it bounces back and forth between scenes quite often. But I kinda like it that way.**

* * *

"_Two fragging years_?!?" Ratchet exclaimed, making a dive for the scientist. Optimus and Prowl had to restrain him.

"Stand down, Ratchet! Attend to our injured!" Optimus commanded, almost shouting. "We are lucky to even be _alive_ now, and once again owe our lives to Wheeljack. Better time travel two years in the future than die." He gave a reassuring nod to the scientist, who had backed into a corner for safety.

"I'd understand a few days but two slagging _years_…"

"_Enough_, Ratchet."

"We have to get to Artemis," Jazz said urgently, looking around. "There's enough of us that can make it--"

"You're not going anywhere," the medic grumbled.

"Why not?!? She's out there, in their grasp--"

"You're missing an arm, Jazz."

"So? I can still walk there--"

"No you can't."

"Yes I can!"

"You're missing a leg, too."

The saboteur looked down, and sure enough both an arm and a leg were detached. "Damn."

Luckily the blast from the bomb had cauterized his opened energon lines, leaving him in relatively stable condition.

Thoroughly put out, Jazz resorted to pouting in his corner, while simultaneously figuring out a plan to get Artemis back.

Ratchet was angrily mumbling to himself as he scanned over the mechs in the cave. None seemed to have immediately life threatening injuries, but there were still some that had to be taken care of soon. There was also the problem of having limited supplies for repairs, both in replacements and equipment. The medic glowered even more. He was _not_ looking forward to the next few hours.

* * *

For once, the Primes were actually frightened of the Weapons Specialist before them. And rightfully so…the sheer fury and anger emanating from Ironhide was enough to even make Megatron retreat.

"How the _frag_ could you just _let_ that happen?" Ironhide growled dangerously. His cannons powered up in the most ominous fashion. "_How_ could you just let them _die_? And let the Decepticons _win_? Whose _side_ are you _on_?"

One of the Primes bravely stepped forward. "Contrary to popular belief, we do not control what happens. Only influence events."

"Then you should have _influenced_ that _event_ a little more strongly in our favor!"

"It was not our place to do so."

"You also must keep in mind that it may not be as bad as you think," another Prime added, still keeping a careful optic on Ironhide.

"NOT AS BAD AS I THINK?!?" the black mech bellowed, all self control gone. "Artemis and Will are _prisoners_, and Optimus, Jazz, and all the others are DEAD! HOW is that not bad?!?"

Still managing their everlasting patience, the first Prime continued. "If you won't believe us, then look through here." He gestured to a newly formed window.

Ironhide contemplated telling them where _they_ could look, but decided against it and walked towards the window. His already deep frown deepened further upon seeing what lay on the other side.

"If this is even a joke, I swear you're all dead."

"We could tell by your thoughts."

"_Not_ the right time for a joke, Prime number whatever."

"This is real, Ironhide. Two years into the future since the explosion at the Autobot base. This is happening right now for all of them."

"But…but how?" the Weapons Specialist asked, still suspicious.

"Wheeljack invented--"

"Say no more. I'm sure even _you_ can't make full sense of his inventions."

"Actually, it was us who granted him the processor capability and imagination to create such things."

Ironhide turned to the Prime, optic ridge raised. "So why does he keep blowing things up?"

"…We were a _little_ too heavy on the imagination side."

* * *

"How are we holding up, Ratchet?"

The medic let out an exhausted sigh before turning to Optimus. "Well enough, I guess. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are pretty battered, but most of that is self-injury from Jet Judo, and they'll be fine. I've reattached Jazz's arm, but I would like to keep his leg off for now, just so he doesn't go off on his own. Bumblebee was in pretty bad shape but he's been improving. Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Prowl just had minor injuries that their own systems can heal. Jetfire had some bad damage to his wings, but he should be able to fly soon enough."

Nodding, Optimus added, "And what about you?"

"I'll be fine. Anyway, I still have to check over Jolt and Red Alert." The medic looked around the cave. "Where are those two, anyway?"

Optimus also looked for the two. "Hm…come to think of it, I haven't seen them lately."

"Jolt, Red Alert, get over here!" Ratchet called out, but there was no response. "I don't like this, Optimus…" the CMO added in a quieter voice to his commander.

Optic ridges furrowing, Optimus looked around once more before speaking. "Has anyone seen Jolt and Red Alert?"

The other mechs in the cave looked around, and the same realization hit them as it hit Optimus and Ratchet. Their sparks stopped momentarily as the fear set in.

The missing mechs had not been seen at _all_ in the cave.

They had not been seen, because they had not been transferred with the others.

They had not been transferred because they were either too far away…

…or they were already dead.

* * *

Megatron loved his life. Things were going perfectly smooth, thanks to the obliteration of the Autobots. What _weak fools, _giving up so easily…

The last two years had been so enjoyable the silver mech almost wished he could relive them. Almost. But, there was still conquering to do.

Most of the world's governments surrendered once they realized the Autobots had vanished. Megatron reveled in the shock that followed the realization that they had not just vanished, but were _killed_ by Megatron himself. Many were in disbelief of this truth, but upon showing the world two mangled corpses of dead Autobots, it was easy to convince the fleshlings that the others had been completely disintegrated. But there were those pesky few countries that refused to give up their pathetic attempts to destroy him. Among the two biggest annoyances were these places called the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

"Such futile attempts from such fragile fleshlings…" the Decepticon mused, reclining what was the chair of Abraham Lincoln at his memorial, but Megatron took for himself. The United States may have been still fighting him, but they could not keep him off their soil. Megatron had no particular use for the throne; he used it only to further insult the fleshlings still against him. But there was little time for relaxation. He was a busy mech, after all.

Sighing contentedly, Megatron rose from his throne and set off for his base of operations. He had work to be done.

* * *

"What have you got, Red Alert?"

The mech turned to the soldier addressing him. "Megatron is leaving the Lincoln Memorial. I might be able to track him this time to his base."

"Excellent. Alright, men! Get ready for another attack! I want us ready to roll out in ten minutes!"

"Yes sir, Major Chapman!"

Graham winced. He was still getting used to being called by his last name after receiving his promotion. He honestly preferred "Graham," but in today's chaotic world, the men needed some normalcy to hold on to. If calling him "Major Chapman" instead of "Major Graham" made them feel better, then so be it.

The Major looked up to the mech next to him. "You sure you can't come with? We could _really_ use your help."

Red Alert looked down at the human. "I'm sorry, but the Decepticons must not know I am still alive at this point. They have to believe that fake corpse _was_ me."

"I understand."

"I will reveal my existence soon enough, it is just not the right time yet."

Red Alert watched the humans pack up and prepare to attack once more. For such fragile beings, they were very courageous and persevered through towering odds. They had definitely earned his utmost respect. The past two years had been hard on everyone, especially those who had known the Autobots personally. Red Alert was surprised to find he had survived the blast, albeit heavily damaged. He tried to search for more survivors, but his team had been completely obliterated, minus Jolt. He too was online, but much too damaged to live for much longer, even if medical help was available. The young mech made Red Alert promise to take his energon whips, not wanting the Decepticons to return and take them for their own. The security officer agreed, and not even an astrosecond later, Jolt was gone.

Red Alert blocked out the pain of such terrible loss and focused on survival. He promised in his own processor that he would live on, keeping the memory of his fallen comrades alive with him. He managed to contact the NEST forces, and they transported him and Jolt's body to a secure location where Red Alert could rest and heal. It would have been easier to leave Jolt behind, but Red Alert couldn't bring himself to leave him behind. NEST also put together a replica of a battered Red Alert and Jolt in record time and placed it back at the destroyed Autobot Base, in case the Decepticons noticed their bodies. Surely they would become suspicious if they mysteriously disappeared. This way, Megatron would believe without a doubt that Red Alert was really dead.

Months later, Red Alert was healed enough to start helping the NEST forces in their counterattacks, although he stuck to technical work and strategic planning, deciding not only was he not strong enough to fight, but it was also not the right time to reveal his existence.

The security mech looked down at the energon whips now attached to his own arms. The pain of losing so many comrades, so many _friends_, refused to lessen at all. He suffered the agony of it in his spark every night, and was plagued by their memories as he recharged. He awoke each morning, making a new promise to make his _friends_ proud that day. But nothing made the pain go away. Nothing helped him cope with such a devastating loss. Not even the humans who had worked with Optimus could even begin to understand the sudden, abrupt severing of so many relationships that had lasted for millions of years.

The now red, white, and blue mech clenched his fist as he regained control over his thoughts. After being damaged, Red Alert chose not only to take Jolt's energon whips, but also to alter his appearance. He gave most of his body structure a blue color, to honor Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, who had once painted him blue as a prank, while his outer plates remained red and white to keep Perceptor's memory alive. He also adopted a visor in memory of Jazz and Prowl. His new alt mode was a H2 Hummer, like Ratchet's old one, and gave himself "door wings" much like Bumblebee's. His left hand was torn off completely in the blast, so he constructed a photon missile launcher, like Jetfire's, to replace it, also including a fire suppression system like Wheeljack's. In addition to the missile launcher, Red Alert also created an energon sword reminiscent of Optimus's pair, which he trained with every day in hopes of becoming as skilled as his leader. And in memory of Ironhide…the first to die…Red Alert not only adopted his "tough as nails" attitude, but also the scar he used to have over his right optic, with a matching one over the right side of his visor.

He had transformed himself into a living memorial. Sometimes the only thing that kept the mech pushing on was the fact he was surviving for the sake of his fallen friends. He did nothing for himself anymore; it was all in memory of his team.

* * *

"Starscream, I'm home!" Megatron growled, striding into his base. "I take it things have gone well in my absence?"

"Of course, my leige," Starscream replied, inclining his head in acknowledgment.

"Excellent. And that fleshling male, how is your progress?"

The Seeker scowled before replying. "Not to be the bearer of bad news, but he refuses to give in. He is much more strong-willed than that female."

Megatron shoved the smaller mech aside, but retained his good humor, at least somewhat. "Two years, Starscream. It shouldn't take that long to convert such a weak species."

"My apologies, master," Starscream replied from the floor, but still managing to bow.

"Do not bother, cretin. I will have to take care of this myself."

The silver Decepticon strode off down a hallway, approaching the hostage room. Well, only one hostage was there at the moment, a fleshling by the name of William Lennox. He had arrived with that fleshling female two years ago, but refused to listen to what anyone had to say. In a way it was amusing to Megatron, watching the fleshling struggle to keep hold of his sanity. It was probably the only reason it was still alive. For similar reasons that female, Artemis, was also kept alive. Though it had broken down already, and proved to be a somewhat useful member to the Decepticons. Oh, how he enjoyed ripping into its mind with only his words. It was such enjoyment to watch the female break, apologizing over and over to no one in particular, while the male tried to comfort it. Once the female was broken, it was easy to brainwash it into following the Decepticons. Megatron knew he could have forced the female to work for him, through various ways of torture and blackmail, but the joy of having it freely choose to follow him was like one last kick to the Autobots.

At last Megatron reached the door to where the male fleshling was kept. He entered and immediately turned to the wall, where a small shelf was constructed at about optic-height, to be used for the fleshling to stand on instead of dangling by its arms from the wall. Let no one say Megatron was inconsiderate.

"Greetings, _Will_," Megatron laughed evilly, enjoying the disgusted response he received. Though he despised calling humans by names, for they deserved no such distinction, this particular one seemed to hate it.

Major Lennox spat at the Decepticon, his eyes still managing to glare daggers at the mech, despite two long years of mistreatment and abuse. He was barely fed enough to be kept alive, and was too weak to even stand, and was thus slumped against the ground with his arms attached to the wall above him. His clothing was ripped and torn from various torture techniques, with his shirt missing completely. His skin was covered in sweat, blood, and grime, built up after two years, and his hair was tangled and clumped together in places.

Upon receiving no further greeting, Megatron continued. "What shall we talk about today?" he asked in a mock-jovial voice.

"Its not gonna happen, Megatron," Lennox growled. "You're not gonna break me."

The soldier could have sworn he saw a twinkle of delight flash in the mech's optics.

"Oh, we will see about that."

* * *

Just as the Autobots were "celebrating" their victory over death, the realization that two of their own had not made it crashed into the already somber cave.

"But there _has_ to be a way to get them-"

"No, Sideswipe, there isn't," Perceptor replied sadly.

"But if Wheeljack can time travel forward, we should be able to go back too!"

"You do not know the full consequences of traveling back in time!" Ratchet interjected over the silver twin. "You are naïve to think we could simply travel back in time and grab them. Think of the consequences of it, even if we could get back to that exact moment. Change one small detail in the past and it could completely destroy the present as we know it!"

"But we don't even know what this 'present' is like! We could change it for the better!"

"Or we could make it worse. No one knows what will happen. Time travel is not something to be messed with."

"So we're just going to let Red Alert and Jolt stay _dead_?"

"We have no other choice," Optimus said sadly, resting his forehelm on his hands. "Mechs will die, no matter what we do. We've suffered losses before. Instead of worrying about the past, we must fight on in their memory."

Still unsatisfied, Sideswipe crossed his arms and strode away to the other side of the cave without another word.

"Sideswipe did make a point, Optimus," Jazz said after a moment, thinking quickly. "We have no idea what its like out there. We need to send at least a few of us out there to check it out."

The Autobot Commander could sense Jazz's eagerness to find Artemis, if she was even still alive, but he could not deny the truth. They _did_ need to see what they were up against.

"Alright, Jazz. Get Ratchet to reattach your leg and find two volunteers to go out with you. _Stick together_, and don't make any rash decisions."

* * *

Artemis was standing at a street corner not far from the Decepticon base, inconspicuously keeping an eye out for NEST forces. She wore sunglasses and a hat to help conceal her identity from any familiar soldiers, and placed her hand over the Decepticon faction symbol Megatron had tattooed to her skin once she joined them. The Decepticon leader had been kind enough to give Artemis a hologram projector, which she used to cover her metal arm with the image of a normal one to blend in with normal humans. Though the Decepticons were taking over, people managed to adapt and still went about their daily lives, albeit with much more fear and paranoia than before.

Artemis noticed some unusual movement out of the corner of her eye, and she instantly recognized it as a military strategy.

"Lord Megatron, NEST activity spotted, heading east towards the base," she said into her earpiece. "Small army, shouldn't be too much of a problem. Probably thought they had the element of surprise."

"_Indeed, the pathetic soldiers_," came the reply. "_I will have them dispatched immediately. I would advise leaving the area, unless you want to be accidentally killed in the crossfire_."

"Thank you, Lord Megatron," Artemis said, before slipping away. The first few times, the knowledge that she helped kill other humans plagued her conscience, but after so many missions she had grown immune to the pain. After all, they were the enemy now. The enemy had to be destroyed before peace could reign.

Artemis had gotten about two miles from the NEST forces when she heard the unmistakable sound of a battle taking place. She chose to head towards a secret haven of her own, instead of back to the base, something which Megatron allowed her to do at times. She paused to turn off the hologram projector and take off the hat and sunglasses, before continuing again. She didn't really like disguises.

* * *

Soon Jazz, Prowl, and Perceptor were cautiously leaving the safety of their hidden cave out into the open. Luckily Perceptor had a few signal suppressors with him. They allowed the Autobots to keep in contact with one another, which normally gave off a signal, but the suppressors kept that signal hidden while out in the open.

The three mechs proceeded through the wilderness, in search of some sort of sign that would give them a clue as to what life was like now. They traveled carefully, alert to anything that could become a threat. Soon the road brought them closer to a populated area. Jazz could see the unmistakable signs of a fight happening not even three miles away. Add it to the already war-torn landscape they traveled through, and it didn't equal good news for the Autobots.

"There are Decepticons close by," Prowl commented, though it was really unnecessary to say aloud.

"Let's be careful. Keep a low profile while we search out Artemis."

"Jazz, I know you want to find her, but the odds of coming across her are very small," Perceptor said, but he may as well have been talking to a wall for all the response he got.

The three Autobots moved on as cautiously as ever, Prowl and Perceptor mainly going on only to keep Jazz in check. They had seen enough to know the odds were fully against them.

Suddenly the saboteur slammed on his brakes, causing the other two to swerve around him to avoid a collision. Prowl would have loved to ask why Jazz did so, but a human female was close by, and he didn't want to risk showing themselves just yet. The girl just had to believe they were three normal vehicles.

…unfortunately, Jazz _transformed_ right then and there, causing the girl to stop dead in her tracks.

After a few seconds of angered confusion, Prowl saw why.

The girl was _Artemis_. It was unmistakably her, even without the dead giveaway of the one-of-a-kind metal arm Ratchet had constructed. With that realization, both Prowl and Perceptor transformed as well, happy to see that Artemis was alive and well, even with their two year absence.

"Artemis!" Jazz said excitedly, approaching her.

Artemis's face turned pale white as she stepped back. "No…no. No no no no no. You're dead. All three of you are dead!" she said, her deep green eyes wide with shock.

"No, its okay. We're really here. We're not dead! Wheeljack saved us with one of his inventions!" Jazz added, trying to convince Artemis.

"NO! You were killed two years ago! I saw it! You aren't real!" she yelled hysterically. Her mind was reeling with the sudden reappearance of the mechs she saw die. Her reality began to crumble, and with it, her ability to think straight.

Prowl knelt down to Artemis. "We _are_ real. See?" he said quietly, slowly holding out his own hand. "Don't be afraid, Artemis, because if we are real, we won't hurt you, and if we aren't real, we _can't_ hurt you."

Artemis accepted this logic after a few minutes of intense contemplation, and slowly reached out and touched Prowl's offered hand. A second later she broke down into more tears, feeling the warm metal beneath her fingers. But still...how could all this happen?

"How? How are you alive? How do I even know you aren't some trick of Megatron's?" she cried, still hesitant to believe they were truly alive.

"Long story short, a Wheeljack Invention saved all of us from the blast," Perceptor said factually.

"And you can know its really me, because you know the Decepticons have no knowledge of the close relationship Ironhide and I had," Jazz added softly. This statement was enough to send Artemis over the edge. The knowledge that the Autobots were not dead was too much for her to take in, and she immediately passed out on the ground before the three mechs.

Jazz gently picked up the limp girl. "We need to get her back to the cave," he decided, holding her protectively.

Prowl was just about to transform when he saw something unusual.

"What's that on her arm?"

"Huh?" Jazz said, looking down. He spotted a medium-sized, uncomfortably familiar black marking on Artemis's arm that wasn't there two years ago. The saboteur bent down for a closer look.

"Oh, Primus… _no_…"

* * *

**So...was this chapter worth the wait? ...Probably not. Even I don't think you deserved to wait this long for the chapter. Sorry again, everyone.**

**A few notes!:**

**1. Graham is the English guy from ROTF. He didn't have a last name so I gave him one. Why "Chapman?" Because Leland and Duane Lee Chapman are the greatest bounty hunters ever and I love those two to death. :D  
**

**2. Megatron is really enjoying the fact he has "once and for all" destroyed his Autobot arch-nemesis and his followers. Thus his abnormally good mood.**

**3. More on what caused Artemis to be brainwashed into joining the Decepticons in the next chapter.**

**4. SO! ...You know how in one chapter I did something that I said I was not going to undo, ever, EVER? WEEEEELLL...I might be undoing said permanent event.**

**5. I'm sorry, Jolt really had no purpose for my story. I had absolutely no personality to work with and I couldn't really create a good one of my own, so I had to. Anyway, the Autobots can't all survive while Decepticons die in fights. The Cons aren't THAT incompetent.**

**6. Red Alert's new look resembles to his Armada counterpart. Why? Because I love Armada Red. Just like Prowl is modeled after Animated Prowl because I love him.**

**Anyway! Glad to have finally gotten this chapter up. Hope you liked it!  
**


	17. Debate

**Hey there! I don't know if you remember me, but my name's Clumsy Peg. I'm an author here on , I love Transformers, and-**

**Wait, so you do remember me? Awesome! I don't deserve such wonderful readers. ^.^**

**But you know what's amazing? I started this story over a year ago. This is so cool for me. Because I've averaged more than one chapter a month! :D**

**Anyway.  
**

**Well, here it is. Chapter 17. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"She shouldn't be here."

Sunstreaker glared at Artemis, who was hiding behind Jazz for safety.

"If you would just give her a chance to explain you might get it through that thick helm of yours that she is still on our side!" Jazz snapped back.

"Don't tell me you believe that lie-"

"How do you know she's lying?"

"How do you know she isn't?"

Optimus sighed as he rubbed his forehelm. Sunstreaker was known for his temper, though it took a bit more to get Jazz heated like this...but when he starts up, its hard to get him to stop. And without Sideswipe to hold back his brother, as he had stormed off earlier, the golden Stingray would be equally unstoppable. Optimus knew the only way for those two to cool down would be to let them argue for a while. And as long as it remained non-violent, he was okay with that.

Ratchet, however, was _not_ okay with the arguing.

"Will you two shut your mouths already? We haven't even heard all of what Artemis has to say!" the medic growled, stepping between the yelling mechs.

"Ratchet-"

"Stay out of this, Jetfire!" Ratchet snapped, pointing threateningly at him. The Seeker wisely backed down.

"At least let her finish before you start wildly making accusations." A rather large wrench was in the medic's hand, which didn't go unnoticed by the two Autobots.

Jazz finally crossed his arms and nodded, while Sunstreaker merely continued to glare at the girl.

Artemis took a deep breath before speaking.

"After the explosion, there...there was nothing left. I saw it myself. Megatron took me and Will out there to prove to us that you were gone. And the torture...it was unbearable. I would have died if I hadn't given in. I may look healthy now...but I was a mess a year ago. I had no other choice but to pretend to join them!"

"Not true. You could have just died."

"Sunstreaker!"

When the room fell silent again, Optimus asked, "And what of Major Lennox?"

"He's alive. But he hasn't given in yet..." Artemis paused, and then gasped. "Oh, no! I was supposed to see him over an hour ago!" she yelled frantically. "I really need to go-"

"I knew it! You're going to sell us out to Megatron!" the golden corvette accused. He made to grab Artemis.

"Sunstreaker!" Optimus yelled, reaching out to stop the mech from doing so.

Jazz got there first.

"Move just one nanometer closer to her, and I swear I'll fire," the saboteur said, voice deadly calm. His crescent cannon was stuck right beneath Sunstreaker's chin.

"You wouldn't dare," Sunstreaker growled.

"Wanna bet?"

"Jazz, calm down!" Prowl said, stepping forward. "You know we would never let anything happen to Artemis."

Jazz didn't reply, except to shove his weapon deeper into Sunstreaker's throat.

The cave was tense while Prowl continued to reason with Jazz.

"Let him go. We'll send him to search for Sideswipe, so he won't be anywhere near Artemis."

"Someone better go with him. Or he could turn around and come back."

"I'll go with him," Prowl replied. "He won't try anything. Will you, Sunstreaker?"

Begrudgingly, the corvette replied. "No, I won't."

With a final growl of frustration, Jazz relented and pulled his crescent cannon away.

Prowl didn't waste any time getting Sunstreaker away, gesturing for the golden twin to follow him down a corridor.

Artemis, who was resting safely in Optimus's hands, spoke up once Sunstreaker was out of sight.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go. Not only do I need to see Will, but Megatron will wonder where I've been."

"Why is it so important for you to see Major Lennox?"

"I'm the only reason he's still alive. And he hasn't eaten in days, so I need to get to him now."

Optimus closed his optics for a moment. This would be a hard decision. He knew that, although the Autobots did trust Artemis, they were holding some doubt to her motives too. But if she was telling the truth, then he would have to let her go, or face the possibility of Major Lennox's death. And that was not something he wanted to risk.

Coming to a decision, Optimus spoke. "If we allow you to leave, you must be escorted. Ratchet and Jazz will follow you from a distance."

Artemis nodded. "That's fine."

Optimus added a silent message to the medic. "_Make sure Jazz doesn't do anything he will regret._"

"_Understood."

* * *

_

Graham watched silently as his troops filed back in, obviously defeated. _"It could be worse,"_ he told himself. _"If it wasn't for our informant Blitz Gear, we'd probably all be dead."_

"Get some rest, men," Graham said aloud. "You did well today, despite our loss."

"Yes sir, thank you, Major Chapman, sir!"

Graham sighed. He could see the morale of the resistance starting to fade, despite their attempts to hide it.

"We need a miracle."

* * *

"Sideswipe? Where are you?" Prowl called out.

"Why don't you just use a com link?" Sunstreaker spat, following behind.

"If you had tried to reach him, you would have realized he has his blocked. Why have you not tried to contact him through your bond?" the tactician countered.

"Ugh, fine," the golden Autobot said, rolling his optics.

"_Sides, where-"_

With impeccable timing, Sideswipe cut off his brother's message.

"_Sunny! You gotta come see this!"_

Sunstreaker stopped, taken aback by Sideswipe's sudden outburst.

"_Where are you?"_

"_Just up ahead. I can feel you're close!"_

Prowl, who had been watching Sunstreaker have his silent conversation with his brother, asked, "Have you found him?"

"Yeah. He's close by. And he says he's found something."

Sunstreaker led the way, and a few minutes later Sideswipe came into view.

"Sunny! Prowl! Look what I found!" Sideswipe yelled, excited. All traces of his earlier anger had disappeared.

"So?" Sunstreaker said, crossing his arms. "It's a pile of rocks."

"But watch this!" the silver twin said excitedly. He dove straight into the rock pile. But instead of crashing into it, he simply disappeared.

"It's a hologram!" Sideswipe mentioned matter-of-factually from the other side.

"Interesting," Prowl commented, stepping through. "But what's a hologram doing in the middle of an abandoned cave?"

"Well, its not that abandoned."

The tactician turned to look at Sunstreaker. "How do you know?"

The golden twin pointed to the many soldiers with guns pointed at them.

"Them."

* * *

"Red Alert, there's something we think you should see," Graham said, looking up at the Autobot.

"What is it?"

"Well...its hard to explain. Follow me."

The security mech followed the soldier into a room where Prowl, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe were being interrogated.

"I swear, I'm not a Decepticon!" Sideswipe pleaded, pointing to the Autobot emblem on his chest. "None of us are! Why do you think we haven't tried to attack yet?"

"Major Chapman, Red Alert," a soldier said, welcoming the pair in the room.

Red Alert was speechless. He recognized those mechs. But it had been two years since he last saw them.

"Wait, did that guy say Red Alert?" Sunstreaker asked, staring intently at the much-changed mech.

"He did!" Sideswipe answered, frantically trying to get Red's attention. "Red! Over here! You're alive! It's a miracle-! You remember me, right? And my unfortunately colored twin over here-"

"Hey!"

"-You look like you've had some work done! And see? I _told_ you blue was your color!"

Graham looked up at the confused mech. "Is it really them?"

"-you shouldn't have gotten so mad at us if you were eventually going to permanently color yourself blue, I mean really, it only took a few orns for the paint to wear off-"

The security mech looked from Sideswipe, who continued to ramble on, to Sunstreaker, sulking in the corner, to Prowl, who shook his helm with a sigh.

Red Alert couldn't help but grin, despite the thousands of questions swirling around his processor. "Its them."

* * *

Megatron didn't look up from the large screen he was studying when Artemis entered. "Where have you been?"

"Just at the forest outside of town," she answered nonchalantly. It was partially true, anyway.

"For this long? I didn't think fleshlings liked dirt and grime and little...toothpicks with disgusting green filth gushing out of them so much."

"I fell asleep, out of boredom."

"Ah."

When Megatron provided no more conversation, Artemis snuck down to where Will was being kept. On her way she stopped by a secret compartment she made and pulled out a backpack of supplies. It was just small enough to not register as a security breach by the monitoring system.

Artemis slowly opened the door to the hostage room and silently climbed the ladder to the platform.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming today."

"I'm sorry, I got a little held up," she replied, dropping the bag and opening it. Artemis pulled out a duplicate key to the lock on Will's cuffs and released them, allowing him to relax for a few short moments.

"How are your arms?" Artemis asked, pulling out a piece of cloth and some healing ointment.

"Sore, but what's new?" Will replied, obviously exhausted. He gritted his teeth as Artemis applied the ointment to his various cuts, causing them to sting. When she was done, Artemis then grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water, which was met with a huge sigh of relief.

"Food," was all Will could seem to get out, reaching for the rare treat. Artemis couldn't always smuggle food into the base, and when she did it had to be in small quantities. Add that to the Decepticons either forgetting or not caring enough to feed him for quite some time, and Major Lennox almost always went days without food.

Artemis simply sat and watched Will devour his food, her head resting on her hands. Up until now he was the one and only reason she remained on NEST's side. Will was the one who told her right from day one of their capture what to do, and when to do it so Megatron believed it was real.

* * *

"_But what am I supposed to do with the fleshlings, master?"_

"_Just throw them somewhere they can't escape from! Seriously, Starscream, must you be so useless?"_

_Grumbling, the Seeker pulled out a metal container and dropped Artemis and Will inside._

"_Starscream! Get over here!"_

"_Yes Lord Megatron!"_

_Will crawled over to Artemis, who was curled up into a ball, crying._

"_Artemis-"_

"_Its my fault! Its all my fault!" she sobbed, hugging her knees to her chest._

"_No its not. I need you to listen to me," Will continued calmly._

"_I can't-"_

"_Yes you can."_

_Fighting back her tears, Artemis finally looked up. "What?"_

"_I need you to do everything I say, okay?"_

"_Um...o-okay."_

"_Now listen closely...I don't know when they're coming back so we'll have to hurry. If Megatron is half the egomaniac I think he is, he will try to convince us to join the Decepticons, as a final insult to the Autobots. What I need you to do is join them-"_

"_No!"_

"_I'm not finished yet," Will said, keeping his voice low. "I need you to pretend to join them. But its going to take a lot to convince Megatron you're really on his side. If you join right away he won't believe you. I'm sure the Decepticons will try to torture information out of us while convincing us to join them. I need you to hold out for a few months, a year if you can handle it. That should be enough time to convince Megatron."_

_Artemis nodded, determined despite her fear._

"_There's bound to be a resistance group. I'll also need you to get in touch with them once Megatron thinks you're on his side. But don't let them know who you are, it will be safer for everyone that way."_

_Wiping her eyes, Artemis asked, "And what about you? What are you going to do?"_

"_I'll be a prisoner."_

"_What? Can't you pretend to join too?"_

"_No. It will be too suspicious. They won't think anything of you, but I'm a soldier. I've been trained to handle high amounts of pain, so I'll be okay."_

"_But Will-"_

"_But nothing. Its the way things have to be."_

"_But what if I mess up?"_

"_You won't," Will answered. He put his arm around Artemis's shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. "I know you can do it. I trust you."

* * *

_

It was tough, but Artemis managed to follow Will's instructions to the letter. A year after her capture she "broke down" and joined the Decepticons, and shortly after made contact with the resistance, under the codename Blitz Gear. Artemis worked hard to keep to delicate balance of information intact, and so far it had been working well.

A few months after "joining", Artemis was finally able to sneak off and visit Will. It was that day she vowed to get him to freedom, no matter how long it took her. And it seemed like today was the day she'd keep that promise.

"Will, you almost done?"

"Yeah," he answered, swallowing his last bite. "Why? I thought the Decepticons weren't coming in tonight."

"They aren't," Artemis said, standing up. "I'm getting you out of here today."

"What? How?"

"Let's just say I have some friends nearby." Artemis packed up her supplies. "Are you strong enough to walk?"

Will pushed himself to a standing position with a grunt, and tried to take a few steps. He immediately fell over, where Artemis caught him.

"Not really."

"That's fine. I'll help you out."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should wait-"

"No time. We're leaving now."

Will didn't get much of a choice; Artemis was already half-carrying him down the ladder. No turning back now.

"So, who are these friends of yours?" Will asked quietly. "Its not NEST, is it? Its too dangerous to have them this close to the base!"

"No, its not them," Artemis answered, keeping her voice low.

"Who is it, then?"

"Some long, long lost friends."

Will gave up trying to get any more information out of her. He'd have to wait and see them himself.

Artemis slowly opened the human-sized door to the corridor. No Decepticons in sight.

The pair made their way through the maze of hallways as quickly as possible, heading for the back exit.

"Almost there," Artemis panted, tired from helping Will stay upright. "Just around this corner-"

Unfortunately, just around the corner was Ravage, who quickly realized what was going on.

"I knew it was too good to be true, getting through here without one Decepticon encounter..." Will muttered.

Ravage wasted no more time launching himself at the duo. Artemis hastily shoved Will aside and tumbled backwards with the feline's impact, kicking out as she hit the floor. Ravage was thrown off by his momentum, and skidded to a halt before facing the girl once more.

"Oh, I've waited so long for a rematch, stupid cat," Artemis almost growled. She sank into a defensive stance and awaited the next attack. It didn't take long.

This time when Ravage came at her, Artemis dodged to the side and placed a well-aimed kick to one of his cannon mounts, disabling it. The metallic feline quickly retaliated and pinned Artemis to the ground, resulting in a short wrestling match between the two enemies.

Finally, Artemis managed to gain the upper hand and pinned Ravage for a split second, which was all she needed to shoot him with a point-blank cannon blast to the head.

"Nice work," Will commented from the side.

Artemis wasted no time reveling in victory, however.

"We've gotta get the hell out of here," she said, not bothering to keep her voice down anymore. "Someone was bound to hear that."

Will could already hear a few mechs making their way to the corridor. "You're right, lets get out of here."

Together the two humans nearly sprinted the last length to the exit and beyond into the outdoors.

"Jazz? Ratchet? Where the hell are you two!" Artemis yelled. "Aren't you supposed to be following me?"

"Wait, what?" Will asked, confused.

Before Artemis could answer, two very familiar vehicles sped into view.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me."

Artemis helped will into the silver car before diving in the other side.

"Let's go, Jazz. The Decepticons will know about this any second now, if not already."

"You got it," came the reply from the speakers.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Artemis took a deep breath. "So, you know how I was late today? Well...long story short, the Autobots aren't as wiped-out as we thought they were."

She left Will to take in this revelation in silence, trying not to smile at the look on his face.

* * *

"You mean everyone else is here too?" Red Alert asked, hopeful.

"Yes. Everyone but you and Jolt made it to the cave, with minor injuries. I'm sure they'll be excited to see you," Prowl answered with a rare smile.

"Major Chapman, will you be joining us?"

"I'd love to, but there's a lot of work to do here," he replied.

Red Alert nodded once. "Then let's go."

Several minutes later, the four mechs reached the main room of the cave.

"Ah, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, nice to see you two have cooled off," Optimus said, raising his helm at the noise of their approach. "I hope they didn't give you too much trouble, Prowl..." The Autobot leader's voice trailed off as he saw the fourth mech.

"Optimus, sir," Red Alert said, inclining his head slightly. It took a lot of self control for the security mech to hold himself back upon seeing the rest of the Autobots truly alive.

The Autobot leader, as well as the other mechs, remained silent as they tried to comprehend the sight before them.

Finally, Optimus managed speak.

"Red Alert?" he asked uncertainly.

This time, Red couldn't hold back his grin. "Yes, sir," he replied, holding out his hand.

Optimus took it, returning the smile. "Nice to have you back, old friend," he laughed, slapping Red Alert lightly on his shoulder.

"Its good to see another Wheeljack experiment work!"

"Don't expect it to happen again any time soon, Ratchet's already threatened my life," the scientist said sheepishly, mouth twitching into a smile.

"Wait...where's Jolt? Is he with you?" Perceptor asked, noticing the smaller blue Autobot was missing.

"Oh...no, he didn't make it," came the reply from Red.

The happiness in the room was instantly subdued.

"There was nothing I could do," he continued. "I barely made it myself, and he was in much worse condition than I was..."

"It's not your fault," Jetfire mentioned.

A rather uncomfortable silence followed, which was soon broken by the return of Jazz and Ratchet.

"You've returned quickly, Artemis," Optimus observed as the girl stepped out.

"Yeah, because we have a slight problem," she replied, running around to the other door to help Will out.

"Major Lennox?"

Optimus couldn't take much more of this. First Artemis, then Red Alert, and now him?

"Quickly, bring him over here," Ratchet called out, preparing the makeshift medbay for the half-dead human.

While Artemis was helping Ratchet, the conversation between the other mechs continued.

"Red!" Jazz shouted joyfully, punching said mech. "Nice body work. I always knew blue was your true color!"

"Hah, thanks Jazz," the security mech replied, distracted. "Hey...you know Artemis is a Decepticon now, right?"

The room tensed as Jazz was about to retort.

"Chill out, Red. She's still on our side."

The saboteur's angry words died in his throat. Of all mechs to defend her, it was _Sunstreaker_?

"I mean, come on," the golden twin continued, crossing his arms. "She obviously didn't have an easy time getting Major Lennox out of Decepticon hands. Didn't you see her? She looks like she's been fighting. And it doesn't look staged."

When the Autobots continued to stare, Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "What? Aren't I allowed to change my mind?" he snapped.

Finished helping Ratchet, Artemis came over.

"Hey, Red Alert," she said, looking down. "I, um, like your new look."

Taken aback, he replied, "How do you know who I am?"

"Oh, sorry," Artemis said quickly. "I've been your informant for the past few months. Blitz Gear, that's me. I recognized your voice."

"That...that's _you_?"

"Yeah," Artemis replied, shifting uncomfortably. "Sorry about earlier today, I tried to give you as much warning as I could without it being too suspicious."

"Wait, what's going on now?" Jazz asked, confused. "You never said anything about being Red's informant!"

"Sorry Jazz," Artemis said again, feeling more and more uncomfortable. "Will said to keep it a secret, but now that's pretty useless, so...yeah."

Sensing the suffocating silence that was about to ensue, Sideswipe intervened with a bright idea.

"So, Red! You never told us about your new look! Out to impress some femmes, eh?" he said, winking.

"Well, this is kind of embarrassing..."

"Come on, Red! Tell us!"

"Please?"

"You know you want to!"

Sighing in defeat, Red Alert began his story. And, of course, he was teased.

A lot.

Optimus sighed, watching his team have a rare moment of enjoyment. Ratchet had joined in as well, after reporting that Major Lennox would make a full recovery. The Autobot commander smiled.

_These_ were the moments he fought for.

* * *

**Well, I sincerely hope it will not take this long for any subsequent chapters to be posted. No Ironhide in this chapter, but I have some big plans for him in chapter 18!**

***smiles evilly***

**Well, that's about it. Hopefully this chapter was good!**

**(And even though I don't deserve any reviews for making you wait so long, I'd still appreciate them ^.^)**


End file.
